CHAPTER 7: Does God Intervene in our lives?
- If not, why pray for His help?
- If so, does He bypass our own free will?
Questions arise as to whether or not God intervenes in the human condition
when it would be precluding someone's "Free Will". My theory is that
God does intervene on occasion, but that He will never intervene in a way that
would preclude a free will decision. As such, I feel that God only intervenes
after a decision has been made, which establishes permanently a person's
position on matters of faith, trust, or morals. I see God controlling a
situation, which then presents people with opportunities to make their own
decisions. He knocks Saul off his horse on the road to
I think that the only way to prove out this theory is to assess any given situation where God has apparently intervened, and see if indeed a final decision had been made, before God chose to intervene. If my theory holds up in every case we find, then we will have some solid answers about how God will answer prayers; and some explanations about all those mass killings God sanctioned in the Old Testament, as well.
I say this ties in with God's rationale for intervening in human affairs. If God intervenes at will, then we really don't have free will of our own and I would contest that. However, the Bible clearly indicates that at times God has intervened. So, miracles do happen and prayers do get answered. We need to understand the criteria for this intervention, so we can sort out a miracle from a logical development without supernatural intervention.
As stated above, I can't prove my theory, but I can contest every potential exception I find and see how well it holds up. So, let's take two classic stories out of the Bible where God has been seen to intervene and assess the theory:
In both these situations, the people wanted to believe that they had the right idea and were not initially willing to trust God's implied judgment. Because they each have free will, they can elect to trust either their own judgment or to wait on God. Saul had long ago abandoned waiting on God and the decision to overtly look to fallen angels for advice was a final straw. Satan could have guessed that at this point, Saul had gone too far and would never repent, so he knew that Saul would be lost. I contend that he did not know for certain that Saul would die the very next day, but it was a good bet, since God had promised not to intervene if Saul's trust in Him was gone. The accuracy of this prophecy indicates to me that God was behind it, speaking through the vision, so Saul and the rest of us would know why the kingdom was passing over to David, etc.
In the case of Balaam, he finally exercised his free will to trust in God and was then able to allow God to speak through him, as through any true prophet.
In both cases, God intervenes on the terms, which the main character can
understand, but only after that character has made a final decision on who he will
trust. Not only the main character, but
also those who are later affected by their decision are now getting what they
wanted on their own terms.
These examples can be applied to our own prayers. When we really want something and we are earnestly praying for God to give it to us, how do we know if He will? I believe it doesn't really matter in the long run if we get what we are praying for or not, if it is only concerned with this temporary existence. Instead, God is looking at us with a view towards eternity. God is watching to see "who" we will decide to trust. If we trust in God, then we accept whatever happens and commit to making the best of it; assured that in the long run God will see to it that everything is better for it. If we trust in ourselves, then we accept only the answer that we like and are disappointed if it turns out otherwise. I believe that God does answer prayers, which are testimonies of our trust in Him to secure our future, even at the expense of our immediate gratification.
An example would be when we pray for a loved one who is dying. We want God to intervene and save their life. If that person dies anyway, what does it mean? Well, if all you wanted was the temporary existence prolonged, then your prayers were not answered. If instead you trusted that God would intervene to give this person life on His owns terms, and that however He did it, you would accept it; then your prayers were answered. You see, God can give this person everlasting life, which is the only life that means anything to Him. If your prayers are answered, then in His own time, God will ensure that this person has everlasting life. When you have learned to trust in God you can wait on God without regret.
16 August 2001
For more on this and a response to any questions, please email any comments to nasamike@nasamike.com