Written by Evi Idoghor
Have you ever wondered why people would attribute their successes or an answered prayer to the universe? People are more at ease saying things like “the universe will open doors for you,” “speak it to the universe,” “tell the universe what you want,” “when the time is right, the universe conspires to make things happen for your good.”
I wouldn't be surprised by this way of thinking if it only came from people who don't believe in God. However, some professing Christians are beginning to conflate the universe with God, which makes me wonder about culture's recent obsession with the universe.
The concept of the universe in relation to a supernatural being is not novel. Paulo Coelho, the author of the best-selling book The Alchemist, which was first published more than 30 years ago, used this concept. And I'm sure he wasn't the first to make the link between the universe and its alleged supernatural tendencies. I posed a question to myself, and the answer came almost immediately: why don't people just replace the universe with God? At the very least, they believe in a higher power.
Well, I believe it's because they desire a god that would have no control over them. If you want to follow God, you must abandon certain practices to live the life he has called you to. In fact, it requires that you die, that is: you abandon your old ways and embrace a new way of thinking, speaking, and acting. He infiltrates every aspect of your life, making you uncomfortable with sinful activities you used to enjoy.
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And this is what people are unwilling to accept. They are in love with a life free of constraints. They want to serve something, but that "something" must not tell them to do what they do not want to do. As such, they choose a god like the universe, which does not have a set of rules for how people should live.
The universe like a false god, does not forbid them from sleeping with multiple people or someone who is not their spouse (Hebrews 13:4). It doesn’t have a set definition and purpose for marriage and procreation (Matthew 19:4, Malachi 2:14-15). It doesn’t prohibit them from worshiping any other god, or holding no belief in the true God at all (Exodus 34:14).
It doesn't define their sex and (or) sexuality (Matthew 19:4, Leviticus 18:22) or instruct them on how to respect their father and mother (Exodus 20:12). It has no definition for sin and makes no judgment on it. It simply observes its occupants implode, unable to intervene, because like the people who inhabit it, it is a creation of the God they refuse to acknowledge.
Romans 1:21 puts it this way, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him…” (Verse 25 provides a reason) “…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
God, not the universe, died for the sake of the world to bring salvation to all people. Living a life devoid of boundaries, rules, and guidelines will result in destruction rather than freedom. Consider a good parent; they set boundaries for their children to protect them and not to harm them. There is no freedom without limits. True freedom can be found when we live within the boundaries set by God.
God created everything, so he knows what is best for us. He understands the importance of rules as a loving father, and the need for discipline if broken. Awe and admiration for the things we see around us should not lead us to worship them, but rather the deep sense of beauty we experience as a result of God’s handiwork, should drive us to worship him.
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