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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Micro Vs Macro	Omar	Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Question: Hello Brother, I often hear Christians say that God doesn't micro-manage our lives, he macro-manages them. I find that a little problematic because in a lot of cases, people may be facing such overwelming circumstances in their lives, that only God can help them overcome those difficulties. Example: a person may be unemployed and may have exhausted all their efforts to find a job. So they pray for God's guidance to a decent job, etc. If we believe that God only "macro-manages," then it seems pointless to pray for help with such a "micro" event in our lives. Am I missing something in my understanding of these concepts? Thanks for your help, and God bless you and your ministry.
Question Answered by Dear Omar: I believe that God "manages" our lives at all. God never forces his children to do anything. Rather, God has given us free will to decide for ourselves whether or not we choose Him. If we choose God, then we choose his guidance, through His Bible and the Magisterial Church. God, like any good father, helps his children behind-the-scenes, but he never does that in a way which violates our free will. God, like any good father, listens to his children and will grant his children their petitions inasmuch as those desires and wants and needs are good. To "manage" means to be in charge. We are ultimately always in charge of our own life because we have the free will to choose truth or untruth, virtue or no virtue, morality or immorality, love or no love. Now with that said, we can allow God to manage our lives in the sense that we choose to live our lives according to Divine and Natural law, according to the teachings of his Word and his Church. gGod will be in our lives as much or as little as we allow Him. In terms of God's interest in us, He is interested in every aspect of our life, no matter how small or large. He loves us, and love holds no bounds. We see this in the teaching of Jesus on the Mount: Mat 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. God does not offer us management, He offers us love. In His love He will care for us in all the ways that conform to His will, if we let Him. Caring for us in love is not the same thing as management. Managers are in charge, they are administrators. With God, he is a loving father and caretaker, but He will never violate our free will. Ultimately, the choice is ours whether or not to trust God with our lives. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Micro Vs Macro

Omar

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Question:

Hello Brother,

I often hear Christians say that God doesn't micro-manage our lives, he macro-manages them. I find that a little problematic because in a lot of cases, people may be facing such overwelming circumstances in their lives, that only God can help them overcome those difficulties. Example: a person may be unemployed and may have exhausted all their efforts to find a job. So they pray for God's guidance to a decent job, etc. If we believe that God only "macro-manages," then it seems pointless to pray for help with such a "micro" event in our lives. Am I missing something in my understanding of these concepts? Thanks for your help, and God bless you and your ministry.

Question Answered by

Dear Omar:

I believe that God "manages" our lives at all. God never forces his children to do anything. Rather, God has given us free will to decide for ourselves whether or not we choose Him. If we choose God, then we choose his guidance, through His Bible and the Magisterial Church.

God, like any good father, helps his children behind-the-scenes, but he never does that in a way which violates our free will. God, like any good father, listens to his children and will grant his children their petitions inasmuch as those desires and wants and needs are good.

To "manage" means to be in charge. We are ultimately always in charge of our own life because we have the free will to choose truth or untruth, virtue or no virtue, morality or immorality, love or no love.

Now with that said, we can allow God to manage our lives in the sense that we choose to live our lives according to Divine and Natural law, according to the teachings of his Word and his Church. gGod will be in our lives as much or as little as we allow Him.

In terms of God's interest in us, He is interested in every aspect of our life, no matter how small or large. He loves us, and love holds no bounds. We see this in the teaching of Jesus on the Mount:

Mat 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

God does not offer us management, He offers us love. In His love He will care for us in all the ways that conform to His will, if we let Him. Caring for us in love is not the same thing as management. Managers are in charge, they are administrators. With God, he is a loving father and caretaker, but He will never violate our free will. Ultimately, the choice is ours whether or not to trust God with our lives.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum