Is God Pulling Your Strings?
- John Scoble
- May 15, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 26
What drives your life: choice, chance, or a hidden divine hand?
For as long as humans have prayed under the stars, we have wondered whether God directs the script of our lives or whether free will leaves the pen in our own hands.
The third episode of our Butterfly Series turns this timeless question into a mirror: do you believe God is a puppet master, a bystander, or something deeper?
The Old Script: God as Interventionist
In the Hebrew Scriptures, God is often cast as the direct cause behind wars, plagues, and exile. Blessings followed obedience. Wrath followed rebellion. This view persists whenever disasters are described as "acts of God."
The New Testament softens this lens but does not abandon it. Jesus himself said, “Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Add centuries of miracle stories and saints’ intercessions, and it is easy to imagine God pulling strings from above.
The Other Script: God as Hands-Off
Modern thinkers remind us that earthquakes, floods, and cyclones are better explained by plate tectonics and climate systems than divine judgment. In this view, God gives us the astonishing freedom of free will and then watches what we do with it.
War, greed, and injustice are not heaven’s punishments but the consequences of human choices. Evil, in this perspective, is what happens when we misuse the gifts of intelligence, creativity, and community entrusted to us.
A Third Way: God Within
But what if God is neither distant manager nor passive bystander? Christian mystics, alongside Hindu and Buddhist teachers, have long suggested that God dwells within, urging us toward wisdom and love through the Spirit.
Evelyn Underhill’s classic study The Mystics concluded that God is both transcendent and immanent: above us yet within us, beyond us yet closer than breath. The more we enter silence, prayer, and meditation, the more we sense not strings being pulled but Spirit being stirred.
Living the Question
The question is not abstract. It changes how we pray, how we act, and how we view suffering. If God is a puppet master, prayer becomes petition for intervention. If God is hands-off, prayer is more like surrender. If God is within, prayer becomes union, an awakening to love already at work.
Poet Rainer Maria Rilke once advised us to “live the questions now.” St Lucia Spirituality takes that seriously. You may never settle the puzzle of divine control versus human freedom, but you can live into the answer by noticing how your beliefs shape your life today.
A Thought to Carry
What do you believe? Does God pull the strings, let them go, or quietly weave them into a larger tapestry from within? The implications ripple outward into how you love, how you forgive, how you serve, and how you imagine the God who first imagined you.
FAQs Is God Pulling Your Strings?
Does God control everything that happens in my life?
Many traditions once saw God as an all-controlling puppet master, but modern theology invites us to see complexity. Natural disasters are explained by science, and human free will plays a major role in shaping history. Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that God’s providence works through creation and human freedom rather than bypassing it altogether (CCC 306). In other words, divine love may guide, but it does not micromanage.
What does Christianity teach about free will versus divine control?
Christian teaching holds both together in tension. Scripture says, “Ask and it will be given you” (Matthew 7:7), suggesting God responds. Yet it also teaches that humans are responsible for their choices. Augustine and Aquinas both argued that true love requires freedom, which means God allows space for us to say yes - or no. Without free will, love would be compulsion, not relationship.
How do mystics understand God’s role in human freedom?
Christian mystics such as Evelyn Underhill and Teresa of Ávila described God less as a puppeteer and more as an indwelling presence that draws us toward love. Underhill’s research on global mystics concluded that God is both transcendent and immanent - beyond us yet within us. This echoes Eastern traditions, where meditation reveals the divine not as an external manipulator but as the very life pulsing within.
Why do people still believe disasters are punishments from God?
Because it is easier to explain suffering by blaming divine wrath than facing the raw mess of nature and human choices. Historically, plagues and earthquakes were seen as God’s punishment (see Numbers 16:30–34). Today, science shows that disasters are natural phenomena, yet a 2021 Pew Research survey found that 40% of Americans still interpret events like COVID-19 as possible signs of God’s judgment. Old habits of thought die hard.
How can I discern whether I believe in a puppet master God or a God of love?
Start by reflecting on your prayer life. If your prayers are mostly petitions for intervention, you may lean toward a controlling God. If they are filled with silence, listening, and surrender, you may sense God as indwelling Spirit. As Rainer Maria Rilke advised, “Live the questions now.” Your lived practice often reveals what you truly believe, far more than what you say you believe.
At St Lucia Spirituality we believe the journey is richer when it’s shared. If you’re seeking a place to explore questions, practice mindfulness, or simply belong to an inclusive spiritual community, we invite you to join us. From online discussion groups and meditation gatherings to our growing library of resources, there’s space here for every seeker. Step into the conversation, connect with others, and discover how community can nurture your spiritual growth.
About the Author - John Scoble
John's journey began in the heart of a traditional Roman Catholic family in Sydney, where he was raised with steadfast faith and reverence. Now residing in the serene surroundings of St Lucia, Brisbane, alongside his beloved wife, John finds solace and inspiration in the tranquil rhythms of life. With four adult children and a cherished grandchild also calling Brisbane home, John's family is his anchor, providing love, support, and a sense of belonging.
While spirituality has always been a cornerstone of his life, it was three transformative events in 2012, including a sacred pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, that ignited a profound shift in John's spiritual trajectory. Embracing retirement as an opportunity for deeper exploration, John immersed himself in extensive reading and soulful reflection.
Over the course of a decade, this journey of self-discovery has led John to reevaluate and transcend many of his traditional beliefs, embracing instead the timeless wisdom and cosmic perspective inherent in Christianity. Influenced by luminaries such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, and Richard Rohr, John's spiritual evolution has been marked by a deepening resonance with the essential truths of his faith and a profound connection to the divine unfolding within and around him.
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