There's a Thin Line Between Faith and Apathy

It's true. There is a very thin line between faith and apathy; between a true belief that God can do the miraculous and a crutch to avoid responsibility for our lives. Many times people say things like "God is in control." or "If it's God's will..." when they face troubling circumstances. While it is true that God is in control, too many people are using that as a crutch. If God is in control and I am not, then when things go wrong or trouble befalls me, I have someone to blame for it. If God is in control, then it doesn't matter what I do or whether I try or not, because it's God's responsibility. That is flawed thinking.

Faith without works is dead. If I desperately need $2000, I cannot sit around and do nothing but pray and have faith and expect God to drop it in my lap. Faith doesn't work that way. If I need $2000, God expects me to believe Him for it and then get off my do-nothing and go find a way to get it. God will supply the way, but we must supply the will.

For a car to go, the engine needs two things; fuel and air. Without fuel and air, there will be no explosion in the cylinder and therefore no power to move the car. We are the same way. Miracles require two things; faith and action. Without faith, God has no reason to intervene any more than I should expect you to help me if I didn't believe you were willing or able to do so. Without action, God has nothing He can work with; no tools He can use to create our miracle.

For some people, "If it's God's will..." is a crutch of apathy; they are too lazy or careless to actually DO something about their circumstances so by waiting on God, they are shirking their responsibilities with the benefit of a pious excuse. For others, it's not so much a matter of laziness, but rather a matter of fear. It's sort of like the high school graduate too scared to open the letter from the college of his choice for fear they did not accept him. In his mind, it's better to not know than to know and be disappointed.

Using the crutch of "God's in control." out of fear of being disappointed is nothing more than a lack of faith in God cleverly disguised as pious belief. If we say we have faith but have no works, we have nothing. If we have no works because we're afraid of being disappointed by an almighty, awesome and wonderfully loving God, then we don't really know who He is or understand His character.

In short, God is in control, and God does have a will. But it is our job to prayerfully find our place; prayerfully add works to our faith in order for God to do what only He can do and provide the miracle for which we need.