God Is in Control

The world feels chaotic and random. World events threaten our sense of well-being. Constant political bickering unsettles us. We feel a vague threat of what could be right around the corner. All of this creates an underlying angst that is hard to shake.

In spite of all of this, the Bible presents a different picture. According to the Bible, God is the guide and director of all circumstances. Nothing is outside of His control and plan.

A Biblical Example

The first king of Israel was chosen through a set of circumstances no one could have manipulated. It began with a herd of sheep that were lost. Saul was sent by his father to find them, coursing all over the surrounding land with no luck. Finally, out of desperation, Saul and his servant sought out a prophet to help them figure out where to look.

Enter Samuel.

Samuel had been given a vision from God that the first king of Israel would be coming to him the next day. Saul arrives, and the path is set for him to become king. It started with lost sheep and ended with Saul becoming king. God orchestrated wandering sheep and vivid visions to a prophet for His singular purpose.

A Personal Story

Years ago, Weezie and I were on a mission trip to Niger. We were involved in supporting a new school there and had the privilege of attending the dedication of several new buildings that were constructed in our daughter’s memory. They renamed the school the Perrin School.

To our surprise, plans were in the mix for a second Perrin school.

On our last stop of the trip, we came to a tiny tin-roof, dirt-floor, two-classroom structure that would soon become the Perrin Shalom School. We walked up to the small outdoor façade with dirt floors and a tin roof that only partially shielded the class from the elements. It was heart-breaking, and we were moved beyond words.

Then we noticed two sheets of plywood that separated the two classrooms. In the French-speaking country of Niger, written twice on the plywood were the words—in English—“Never give up.”

We were stunned.

The words, “Never, never give up,” are our family’s motto, chosen when the kids were small. No one there knew we were coming, much less what our family motto was. We have no idea who wrote those words, why they were written in English, or what the significance was for the one who wrote them. You can see the picture taken from that school in the image for this post.

For us, it was confirmation in an unmistakable way that God was in this journey with us.

There are no accidents in God’s economy.

God is shaping this evil, dangerous world for good. He is in control of every detail. We cannot in our finite minds understand how our freedom, even our freedom to do evil, reconciles with God’s total sovereignty, yet somehow both are true.

We know that this does not mean that life will be easy or that we will be insulated from suffering and hard events. The rain falls on us all.

The larger truth is that no matter how dangerous the world feels, no matter how scary our surroundings are, God is in control.

Whether job loss, cancer, divorce, grief—God is in control.

Even though we all walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us, and He is in control. We may only be able to see storms, but He is the One who calms the raging waves.

Nothing is outside of His guiding hand and His loving purpose for our lives.

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

This world comes with no guarantees, but God gives us the guarantee of His love and our eternal destination.

The battle—our battle—has already been won.