Challenging conversations God’s plan
W
hat do you say to a friend who tells you that your job loss is part of God’s special plan for your life? Or, if it is stage 3 cervical cancer that is causing you
to lie awake worrying at night, how do you respond to that well-intended soul who wants you to believe that God has a reason for everything? Pious clichés that use God to explain away difficult
or tragic circumstances are on the lips of vast numbers of Christians. Such expressions sound wonderfully holy. They also falsify human experience. They distort the majesty of God by twisting God into a distant and aloof sovereign. “God wanted it to happen, so it happened.” That’s a favor- ite. If your best friend is mugged and beaten, did God really send this suffering to teach your friend a lesson? If so, what sort of lesson was it? What are the odds that the lesson struck a chord? Most of us would find a lot more reason to fear rather than love God if the Lord of heaven and earth was this morally ambivalent or malevolent. While visiting a city church a few years ago, I picked up
a history of the congregation. From that booklet I learned that the congregation’s previous sanctuary burned to the ground. “No doubt, to train his people for greater things,” the account read, “it pleased the Lord to reduce this splendid edifice of worship to a gutted, smoldering ruin by a disastrous fire on Dec. 3, 1903.” Really? I’ll bet you didn’t know God delights in burning down churches. From where does this folly come?
By Peter W. Marty Ninth in a series
Lord may work in mysterious ways, but there’s no evidence of nonsensical ways
logical narcissism cleverly places “me” at the center of the universe. “Somebody was looking
out for me. My prayers were answered.” This may offer all kinds of comfort after a fright- ening tornado just missed my house. But what about my faith- ful and prayer-inspired neigh- bors just blocks away? They are standing in the rubble of what was their house. It’s hard to pic- ture them having prayed, “Lord please direct the tornado our direction. We need one real bad.” Some believers will resort to language of God allow-
Several sources. God gets blamed for all kinds of outlandish things, mostly because we don’t like to feel out of control in a chaotic uni- verse. If we position God to assume the blame or credit for an inexplicable situation, suddenly it sounds more reason- able. Many people don’t like the idea of no one being respon- sible for a perplexing event. Thus, God becomes the handy arranger when one needs a cause for that flat tire in the des- ert, or for that stillborn child who had been the sparkle in a hope-filled couple’s eyes. There is another reason why seemingly intelligent people
tend to make God responsible for all kinds of ridiculous cir- cumstances. Such theology works extremely well when things turn out to benefit us. An egocentricity permeates a lot of chatter about God having a personal plan for my life. Theo-
If we position God to assume the blame or credit for an inexplicable situation, suddenly it sounds reasonable. Many people don’t like the idea of no one being responsible for a perplexing event.
ing certain events, even if God did not cause them. But that theological reasoning presents huge problems, usu- ally indicting rather than complimenting God. If my child drowns in a swimming accident and you try to comfort me by suggesting God allowed the drowning for a reason, that means God failed me. It would be akin to having a strong lifeguard, with all the equipment and rescue skill in the world, just standing by to watch my child go down. That would be gross dereliction of duty. Never once did Jesus counsel any
person to accept their suffering as the Lord’s will. God may work in mysteri- ous ways, but there is no evidence that God works in nonsensical ways. If
God is all-powerful and all-knowing, we should never forget that God is also all-loving. There are certain things love will not do, and territory where love will not tread. So the next time a friend wants to suggest that God’s care
for you amounts to God arranging the daily particulars of your life, gently remind her that you aren’t a helpless or passive marionette puppet. Share with her the biblical word that God’s will in this world is about much grander things than simply pulling different strings to create personal misery or blessing for you.
Author bio: Marty is a pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa, and a regular columnist for The Lutheran.
January 2014 3
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