What exactly does it mean to let go and let God? Is that really how God operates? Have we seen the evidence of a God that accomplishes things his way all the time because his ways are best? We can just sit on the sidelines and relax because we know that if God wants it done, it will be done?
To explain to you what I mean, I have borrowed an analogy from John Piper:
Suppose that you were about to have a baby and God came to you and said, "This baby is a gift of mine and I promise that she will live to be 100 years old."
So when the baby is born, you take her home from the hospital, but you don't feed her. Your husband says, "Why aren't you feeding the baby?" And you say, "Because God promised me that the baby would live to be 100 years old. So if God is going to make sure that the baby will live 100 years, I don't need to feed it."
Well, this husband is perceptive and says, "How do you know that God didn't mean that he would see to it that the baby gets taken care of till she is 100 years old? How do you know that God won't let an irresponsible mother drop dead so that he can fulfill his promise through a mother who will feed this little girl?" No answer.
This interpretation of how Gods inevitable will works is refreshing. Why would God tell a person to do something if they can't help but do it? Or more importantly, why do Christians need to do anything if God’s will is inevitably carried out? Why should we even wake-up in the morning---if God wants these people to be saved, he is capable of saving them. Why doesn’t God just act directly, cutting out humankind as the mediator of his will?
To understand why God designed us with free will, we must learn to understand the entire purpose of creation---relationship. There is no purpose in a machined relationship. Here is an example of what I mean:
Suppose there is a woman with a husband. His every move is flawless and there is not a single time when he does not commit the perfect, loving action. However, he cannot help but do these things. He has no choice, it just happens. When she comes home from work he has her favourite dinner ready and has everything just how she likes it. But she knows he has no choice in these matters and she knows he might not want to do these things, he might despise doing these things, but none the less he is programmed to do them.
How would she know when he is acting out of love and when he is acting out of obligation?
This is why Jesus and the New Testament constantly stress the importance of ambitions and not the actions. Any human being can be the husband that acts out of obligation and yet truly despises the very actions they commit. An example of this in the modern day context is in our offerings. An honest principle I follow (which may sound heretical to some) is that when I don’t want to give, I don’t give. If I give when my heart truly desires not to, it has become legalism and I have become the obligated husband rather than the loving husband. It’s not that I only give to obtain recognition, but the point is that the action of giving in itself has no purpose. I could eat paper and it would mean as much. It is my desire to give that means everything; when this desire has died and I no longer have the willingness to give, God has no desire to see me continue in my giving out of obligation. You might say “of course he still desires for you to give! It is laid out clearly in Scripture that God is pleased with our giving!!” I would point out that is an intensely legalistic way of looking at life. Carefully consider your theology. Yes, absolutely he desires for us to give. But if giving meant anything on its own without the desire to give, there would be no need for free will.
To explain it simply there is somewhat of a base layer of thinking that many of us (including me) need to break through. There are principles that we just know to be things God desires and so these principles are automatically followed, no questions asked. We are working to become as close to the obligated husband as possible because he acts perfectly under every circumstance. That’s what God desires isn’t it? For us to act perfectly according to his principles? What if God doesn’t care whether you read your Bible or not. It means nothing. He doesn’t care how many times you go to church a year or how much you have given to the poor and the needy. These are all roles of the obligated husband. Perhaps that is why John Piper titled his ministry “Desiring God” and not “Doing What God Would Want Us To.”
A proper response to this point of view would be to raise the issue of perseverance. If I stop doing what is right, just because it becomes difficult for me, isn’t that giving up? Aren’t relationships based around persevering with each other even through the tough times? And I agree. Especially in the marriage context, there are many times where there may be a task or chore that you will not desire to do, but do it anyway out of obligation to your wife. Is that wrong? No! Please try to understand that following these “correct principles” is in no way “wrong” however; what I am trying to point is that the actions themselves are meaningless. The right and wrong of the action is completely dependent on your attitude towards it.
Would angrily presenting your wife with news that the trash was finally taken out constitute as a success? No! She would feel just as unappreciated (or perhaps even more), due to your undesirable attitude! The fact that you never desired to appreciate her by doing a simple mundane task was enough to show what your heart truly desired. If what you really desired was to please her and make her feel appreciated, you would have a big smile on your face as that trash hit the road. Do you think her heart would be warmed due to the fact that your garbage would now be safely transported to a waste management facility? Doubtful.
I would relate this to acts of charity by asking you a simple question: if you really believed in your heart that your act of charity was the right thing to do, that your simple act could change a life and show the love of Christ to people, would you really have a hard time doing it? Would it really be difficult for you to settle with a $3,000 car rather than a $30,000 car? This is not a matter of intellectual belief; just as Christianity is not matter of intellectual belief. This is the belief of the heart. In other words: this comes down to what you truly believe, not what you think you believe. Which do you think God is interested in?
Lastly---true, honest, and God-desiring motives are all we need; in every circumstance, under any condition. This post is a plea not to replace these motives with acts of obligation. If you don’t feel like giving, don’t give. Instead do what is more urgently required and ask God to show you what your heart truly desires. It will go far beyond any act of charity.
“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3 NIV)
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