READ: DEUTERONOMY 16:18 - 18:22; PSALM 107
TITLE: OUR NEED TO CONTROL
TEXT TO MEDITATE: DEUTERONOMY 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.
REFLECT:
Virtually every civilization has a belief in an existence that is far superior to the one we see. A simple observation of all the happenings in the world will cause us to realise that many circumstances are beyond our control - a sudden occurrence of disease, the unpredictability of weather, the existence and power of our enemies, the loyalty of our friends and loved ones, even our moods and state of mind.
Our inability to control our circumstances leads to uncertainty. There is no certainty that we will have the outcomes that we want. So what can bring us more certainty? Universally, most peoples have discovered that there are entities - generally described as powers, principalities, or gods, who do have more control over circumstances than we. And if we could have control over these powers, principalities and gods, whether through bribery or other forms of manipulation, and could make them do our bidding, life would be more certain for us.
The nations living around the Hebrews had devised various ways of manipulating the spirits and gods. Some were extreme sacrifices such as human sacrifices. Others included sorcery, divination, fortune-telling, and necromancy (the art of speaking to the dead). All of these had one thing in common - they sought to placate or arm-twist the 'underworld' or spiritual beings into doing our bidding. These practices presume that humans have power over spiritual forces. This of course is so far from reality. Reality is that these dark forces are far more powerful than we, and those who dabble in dark arts, while thinking that we are masters over them, become slaves to dark spirits and forces.
Becoming slaves to dark forces is indeed a hellish existence. Yet to those who crave control, it appears that we are powerful and that we are masters of our destinies. It is an alluring thought. Because God loves us, He would hate us being entrapped by these dark forces. He puts up strong fences in the form of the death penalty, to deter his people from falling into the trap.
RELATE
It is indeed difficult for us to relinquish control over our destinies. We have our dreams and ambitions, and fear having these ambitions thwarted by circumstances beyond our control. So we invoke God's or other spiritual forces' help. But rather than turning to God believing that He will give us the desires of our hearts, we dictate to Him what we want and insist that He give us only what we have demanded. In the late 1900s the era when I grew up as a Christian, there was a popular teaching that advocated believers to specify what they wanted, and insist that God give us what we have asked for. This "name it and claim it" theology taught that God would only give us what we want if we specify to Him (in extreme cases for example, the address of the house we want, or the car that we covet). In other cases, we try to persuade God by the size of our offering, or by trying to behave well so that God will give us the things that we want. Yet this quid pro quo attitude towards God ultimately leads to more anxiety when we do not get what we want. We are unable to rest when we insist that our choices are wiser and better than God's, and that God's role in our lives is simply to give us whatever we want.
True rest only comes when we begin to believe that God cares for us infinitely more than we love ourselves, and that He is also infinitely wiser than we are. It becomes rest when we accept that we cannot, but more importantly, need not be in control of our circumstances. We are able to rest when we believe that God watches over us and that we are held protectively in His powerful hands. We do not need to manipulate God or any other spiritual force of darkness to get the best out of life. God has already promised us that Jesus came to give us life, and to let us have it in abundance.
REST
Are you in situations where you feel you have no control over? Perhaps an illness, or a financial situation, or a work or relational issue? Tell God about what troubles you. Ask Him to help you. The Bible tells us to "cast all our cares upon God, because He cares for us". You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can rest knowing that God has full control and that when you hand God your anxieties, He will calm your troubled heart and give you the true desires of your heart that will fill you with great joy.
Chiu Ming Li
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