Who is responsible?

At the end of Some “Evil” Thoughts, Joe posted a YouTube parody of the “Mythbusters” television show. In this video, two guys try to disprove God’s existence by testing the effectiveness of prayer. The video is a funny parody, but what caught my attention were these lines:


Jamie: Well the proof that most people cite is that they pray to God, and he answers their prayers.

Adam: Right, like uh when you pray for someone who’s really sick to get better.

Jamie: But that sick person may be getting better due to modern medicine, the skill of a surgeon, or just through their body’s natural healing.

Adam: Exactly, God could be claiming credit for stuff that he has nothing to do with.


I can respect the desire to perform a scientific experiment with controlled variables, but I think this video brings to light a wrong perspective our society (Christian and non-Christians alike) has about God.

Our tendency is to separate events into two categories:

1) caused by God
2) not caused by God

Only the most direct interventions into our world, such as the healing of a terminally ill person or the parting of the Red Sea, make it into the first category. Everything else falls into the second category, which itself has three subcategories: human causes, natural causes, and coincidences.

But if we look to the scriptures, we find a different perspective about God’s interaction with his creation. The Bible reveals to us that God is ultimately responsible for everything, from the rise and fall of civilizations to the provision of food for the birds.

Perhaps we are due for a change in our thinking. While events may appear to be due to human or natural causes, or even pure chance, ultimately God has his hand in all events. Therefore, we should praise him for all good things, and not look down upon the benefits of modern medicine and science, through which God brings healing. In the same manner, we must recognize that even our best treatments and scientific advances are only possible because God makes them possible. He is worthy of all our praise.