Chasing After Power - "I Can Control My World"

This is a super-long article that I read just now... but think it's real good. :) It begins with a long story that's very realistic. Made me take a hard look at myself... because, even in the 3rd week of work, I'm already starting to have temptations to take advantage of certain things at work, and I can see how the temptation to start backstabbing others begins so subtly - "I deserve this and that... I'm better than my teammate..." Trying to look better than my team-mates.

But gee, thank God for His Word that rebukes even the tiniest evil thought in my heart... "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble..." "Those who exalt themselves will be humbled..." "Love your neighbour as yourself..." "Love does no harm to its neighbour..."

Actually, not really surprised to see that this kind of evil thought can take root so easily in my heart... think last time I would have been appalled by the potential for evil in my heart, but now thank God so much for the wonderful truth that "there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." As someone put it so beautifully, "even our deepest tears of repentance have to be washed clean by the blood of the Lamb."

:) thank God that we are powerless, that we might not be devoured by power. and thank God that He alone is truly powerful, for only He can truly control power.

Anyway, here's a condensed version:

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But even when we spend lots of energy wresting control from chaos, God will not let us achieve what would block us from himself. He actively orchestrates life so that we are continually presented with minor and major disruptions—and reminded that we are not in control.

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Our usual strategy for dealing with the mess of life is to seek control over it. We try to gain power in the world in order to have an effective platform to manage our existence.

Power makes us think of politicians and bankers, and most of us don’t have that kind of clout. But power comes in gradations. We may experience the struggle for power in the family as we try to keep our kids in line or our parents from interfering. We may seek power in our community by doing volunteer work at the hospital or by running for a local office. We may seek power in our work by climbing up the corporate ladder, trying to become the boss so we can tell others what to do rather than have others
tell us what to do.

Power—whether it is the power of status, abilities, career, position—ought to make us feel more in control. But we have seen that it doesn’t. We can never tame life. As the Teacher woefully observes, “What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted” (1:15 NIV).

The enigma is that it is God who has done the twisting and produced the lack: “Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.” (7:13-14).

So power does not bring control, and when we realize that, we are disappointed. We begin to feel that life has no meaning. We lose our vitality. The result is that we often give up any healthy attempts at control. We live halfhearted, passionless lives, letting events rule us, rather than the reverse.

Are these the only two options? Do we have to choose between a lifestyle of desperate grasping for control or a listless surrender to the mess?

Abraham: Receiving the Blessing

Let’s return to Abraham for a moment. We have already seen him struggle with doubt in his relationship with God. We have seen him grasp at the promises that were at the center of his life and try inappropriately to take matters into his own hands.

But something happened to Abraham along the way, something that moved him from the struggle of earthly existence (under the sun) to a fear of God (above the sun). The change didn’t happen overnight. Isaac’s long-awaited birth was surely an influence, as was God’s grace in overcoming many obstacles throughout Abraham’s life. But by Genesis 22, which tells the story of the “sacrifice” of Isaac, the change in Abraham was clear.

After the promised heir was born, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable, take this son and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. We don’t know what Abraham thought of these orders; he might have been angry, confused and afraid, but we do see his actions: obedience. He took Isaac to the mountain and surely would have followed through on God’s instructions if God had not intervened and provided a substitute sacrifice.

Abraham had moved from an attitude of anxious chasing to one of divine dependence. He no longer tried to live life according to his own strength. Instead, recognizing his weakness, Abraham grew dependent on God. He found meaning and peace not by chasing after power, but by surrendering and trusting God.

Notice that the book of Ecclesiastes has the same message. The Teacher frets about the lack of control over his life. He cannot learn from the past; he does not know how to act in the present; he is frightfully ignorant of the future and paralyzed with fear.

The second unnamed wise man at the end, though, suggests the proper antidote. Don’t fear your ignorance and lack of control, he tells his son; rather, “fear God.” Submit your weakness and worries to the One who is truly in control, your heavenly Father.

Christ: Power Through Submission

We often lose sight of Christ’s agony as he faced the cross. We often assume he faced his death with courage from the very start. But just before his arrest, he described the state of his soul as “crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). The Gospel of Luke describes Christ’s mental state as “in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44).

Christ asked fervently for the cup of suffering to be taken away from him. He really didn’t want to go to the cross. But while Christ was tempted, he never rebelled against his Father’s will. Rather, he submitted to him by saying, “If it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42 NIV).

God’s will took Jesus to the cross, a place of torture, shame and death. But it was the only way to the resurrection, an event of glory, victory and life.

Jesus is the One who shows us the paradoxical route to meaning in a chaotic and hostile world. It’s the paradox of the gospel: Strength is found in weakness. Control is found in dependency. Power is found in surrender.

A Purposeful Life Above the Sun

From above the sun, we conclude that life under the sun was not intended to run smoothly. The road of life is bumpy and filled with obstacles—for everyone. This is the legacy of the Fall (Genesis 3). Life on earth is untamable. No human can control it.

And yet it is precisely in the untamable twists and turns that we actually meet God. We find ourselves compelled to surrender to his wisdom not when we feel strong and in control but when life careens off its expected course and we know we can’t do anything about it. In these moments we are reminded that we have no control over our world. What we can control, however, is our willingness to seek God in the midst of seeming chaos.

When we are alert to God’s working in our life, we can see how intrusions that overwhelm us, even those that are apparently evil, are his way of moving us toward something good. Surrender in this context is not an act of cowardice but an expectation that Romans 8:28 is true, that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Once we adjust our eyes to see God in the midst of the apparent chaos, we can affirm that, although life is not tamable, it is purposeful—if we surrender to God’s control and power. Surrendering doesn’t mean that we spend less energy, but it does mean that we spend less nervous energy. We can live with a confidence that does not presume on our ability to rope life in but rather grounds itself in the strength and power of the One who made us.

How Do We Chase After Power?

1. Over what parts of your life do you feel you have control? Where do you
wish you had more?
2. What do you have to sacrifice to keep order in your life? Time? Relationships? Leisure?
3. What emotions do you experience when you feel that something is beyond your power?
4. Does the “power of God” have any practical value in your daily life? Describe where you see his power and how it affects your power.
5. How do you and your family plan your day, your month, your life?
6. What does it mean to you to surrender your life to God? What does that
surrender mean for your planning?
7. Does the realization that life is ultimately untamable ever cause you to
panic?
8. What verses from Scripture give you hope in the midst of panic or helplessness?