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1 year ago
“A GPS God” or “God-Positioning-Unit”
Yesterday Amanda and I got into a big fight. To be more precise, it was one of those really little fights, that ended up escalating into something a lot bigger than it should have been.
We went to Quispamsis to pick up a plinko board for the Bethany Admissions department. I had been there before, in fact both of us had. However, when I called the pastor to let him know we were on our way, Amanda asked me to get the street address from him. We have a GPS unit, and Amanda wanted to be able to plug in the exact address so that we would know where we were going.
I didn’t ask him for the address. In my mind, asking for the address was a waste of time. I had already been there and knew how to get there again. For Amanda, getting the address was a comfort issue.
However, the fight ended up being about how she doesn’t trust my ability to navigate a situation she is unfamiliar with vs. my lack of consideration for her requests. Because she asked, she expected me to comply with her request. I wanted her to trust that I could get us there safely regardless of the fact that she personal had no idea where we were.
I don’t want to get into a discussion about how I was totally right and she was totally wrong (Honestly, if I knew at the time just how much comfort the address would have brought her, I would have just taken the 20 seconds to ask the pastor). However, the entire situation made me think of how we often relate to God.
So often I will ask God for something and expect that he will grant it simply because I asked. I think my logic goes something like this, “God is love… and God loves me… therefore, God wants to see me happy… which means God will give me this thing that I want.” Now this progression of logic does not work for those times we pray for a million dollars, or for the destruction of an abortion clinic, or whatever other seriously un-Christlike thing we ask for. But when our requests are in line with our faith, I essentially expect God to grant my request.
However, the problem with this is a problem of control. If I assume that God is in some way obligated to grant my requests, simply because I asked him for them, then God is no longer in control of our relationship. I am. If God’s hands are somehow tied every time I ask him for something, then he is no longer the master of the universe. I am.
Which is an incredibly comforting thought. God becomes the magic genie that can grant my wishes. I can effectively put God on a leash and in a very small box.
While this delusion gives me a safe God (thus the comforting thought), it also gives me a false God.
At the same time, I think there are tons of times when I’m asking God to give me the address because it will put my mind at ease. I want to know where we’re going. I want to be able to take over in case God fails to find the church. Once again, I really want to be in control.
But I wonder how often God is listening to our prayer requests and is essentially saying, “I’m going to say no, because I really want you to trust me on this. Where is your faith? Do you truly trust that I can guide us through this situation, even though you have no idea where you are right now?”
Once again, I’m not saying I was “in the right” as far as keeping Amanda in the dark about the address. After all, I’m not omniscient (all-knowing) nor am I all-powerfully. There are times I will let Amanda down and fail to come through.
How many times have you sat in the car with God and asked him to give you the address instead of relying on him to get you to the church safely? How many times have you expected God to provide you with the address, simply because you asked?
Notes
Following
