Our Double Delusion

According to Jesus, we are suffering from a double delusion. First, our anxiety about the future is grounded in a false assumption about who is actually in control. We think we are in control, but we are not. We do not even control the most basic elements of our own life and environment. We can take measures to guard our health, but we cannot add to the length of our days. We can make provision for our future, but we cannot stop moth and rust from corrupting what we possess or guarantee that thieves will not carry it off. Today’s troubles are proof enough that we cannot build a wall strong enough to keep them out.

  Second, our fears reflect a secret suspicion that the God who should be in control is actually asleep at the wheel. We are afraid that God is not as attentive to our situation as He should be. Consequently, we attempt to wrest control from God by taking matters into our own hands. We rely on our own strategies more than upon God, depending on the flesh rather than the Spirit. In our eagerness to produce results, we resort to questionable methods. Worse yet, we may adopt methods that fall outside the bounds of what Scripture says is wise or even allowable. In ministry, this kind of anxiety often takes the form of unreflective pragmatism. We focus on results without considering whether the measures we take to achieve them are responsible or biblical. We assume the end justifies the means. Another way in which leaders often react when they fear that God is not attentive is by resorting to manipulation. We rely on our own persuasive techniques to move people to act rather than waiting for the Holy Spirit to convict.