I was talking to a recovering addict the other day who has some long-term sobriety, but is now struggling again. I asked him to tell me about the G-d of his understanding.

"Kind, compassionate, forgiving, all-knowing," he told me. "What about in control?" I asked.

I told him that for me (just me, forget that I'm the Rabbi for a minute), the first and most important quality I must attribute to the G-d of my understanding is that He is in control. Kind, compassionate, forgiving and all-knowing will not keep me sober. I have to know that G-d is in absolute control.

If I weren't an alcoholic, I might be happy with a caring G-d. But caring doesn't cut it for me. What good is it to be cared for by a G-d who is wimpy and incompetent? At least for me, that doesn't do much for my serenity. "G-d loves you" won't keep me from crumbling under the pressures of reality, but "G-d is in control" will.

When I speak about control, I am not talking about G-d controlling me. My free choice is the only thing to credit or to blame for my actions. I am talking about G-d's control of the universe.

We do not live in a chaotic universe. G-d is perpetually re-creating the world; He creates something from absolute nothing every single second. He is putting everything just where He wants it. Nothing escapes His attention; no detail is neglected. The world is constantly being guided and cared for.

That kind of control is what the Baal Shem Tov taught us when he explained how G-d's providence extends even to a little leaf falling from a tree. When I start to forget that it's all from G-d, I get resentful and scared. When I remember that it's all going according to plan, I feel serenity.

The situation may not be to our liking, but it's all perfectly under control!