Is God to be Trusted?

This may seem a rather odd question, particularly if your “God” is of the omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-knowing variety. In fact, the question may border on blasphemy for some; however, the basis of the query underlines a substantial aspect of recovery. You may wonder how someone would dare question God’s trustworthiness? Consider the fact that though we would never openly bring our higher power’s trust into question, our actions often speak louder than our words, and those actions often indicate mistrust. It’s not that God has fostered mistrust, it’s simply that we have found a less trustworthy replacement that we choose to rely on…ourselves.

Steps two, three, five, six, seven and eleven, of those twelve that you know so well, directly reference God. Moreover, they not only reference Him, they assign Him a significant amount of work to do. For instance, He is asked to manage our will. That’s usually not something you ask of most anyone, even the most admired or respected person you may know. It’s no stretch to suggest that the entity to which we are turning for solutions is presumably eternally powerful and capable. Yet, despite redundant recitations of the 12 steps, are we truly willing to hand over the reigns to Him? Personally, this has been my struggle. My Higher Power knows everything, is the essence of good, is bound by nothing, but, despite these beneficial characteristics, there are instances where I am rather sure that God should take a backseat while I drive the bus…right off the cliff. Ultimately, my actions have shown more trust in a broken, oft errant human in myself, rather than The Big Guy with a much better plan.

Henry Ford, obviously a very powerful and accomplished man, seemed to realize even his limitations when compared to a far superior being. He once said, “I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn’t need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about?” Henry Ford let God drive, which is the answer to the original question; of course God is to be trusted. To use a baseball analogy: we have to take Him out of the bullpen, where we only call when we’ve found ourselves in dire straits, and move Him to manager.

… from a grateful recovering dentist …