God is in Control

I would like to share with you the story of a man who drowned in a lake. When he was discovered the news spread out across the area like a wildfire. Eyewitnesses there at the lake told of the anxiety, tears and of the helpless disbelief on the faces of all of those present at the scene. When the man's wife, Sue appeared on the scene one of her close friends rushed up to her and said, “Oh Sue, he’s gone, Ted’s gone.”

Sue replied with calm assurance, quoting the words of Psalm 115:3 "But our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him." All of the anguish, the sudden loneliness that normally consumes and cripples those who survive did not invade Sue’s heart. Instead she leaned hard upon the Almighty God. As you think about the words of this psalm, does it seem strange to you? Does it seem unusual to refer to a tragic death as being God’s pleasure?

Psalms 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." This is a verse that many have a problem understanding. Matt 10:29 says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them shall fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father."

Now honestly answer this question-- do you think God’s control over us is total, or just partial? Let’s look at his word and allow it to speak for itself on this subject.

Psalm 139:5 You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

Psalm 139:15-16 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Isaiah 45:9 Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of the earth! Will the clay say to the potter, "What are you doing"?

Isaiah 46: 9-10 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Daniel 4:35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

There are many more scriptures patiently repeated, in a dozen different ways so that the word of God makes its point. Whether you accept it or not, God calls the shots, God is in control of your life. God is either in full control or else he is not on the throne. It would be just as foolish to say that God is almost in control as it would be to say that Obama is almost President or that Suzana Martinez is almost Governor or that the surgeon’s gloves are almost sterile.

If you are trying hard to grasp all the deep things of this great truth, stop, you can’t.
Worrying your mind trying to understand all the things that make God who he is and why he does some of the things he does can drive you into a frenzy. It will push you over the edge of your mental capacity. Trust God and understand that the finite mind can never understand the depths of the infinite mind--- so don’t waste your time trying.

I used to worry about not knowing what to say to someone when asked a question about something that I did not know or understand. But I can tell you it was a wonderful day in my life when I realized that God did not expect me to know all things. I’m not afraid to acknowledge that I don’t understand the reasons things happen, but I accept the fact that God’s hand is in everything that happens.

If I could figure it all out and understand everything I would qualify as God’s adviser, but the scriptures make it very clear that God doesn’t need my puny advice.

All God wants from me and you is our unreserved love, total devotion, faith and trust; and not our unenlightened understanding of his ways.

Remember, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and his ways are higher than our ways. God knows what he is doing. One of the marks of spiritual maturity is in having the confidence that God knows everything about us and is in complete control of our lives. There will be times when we may not understand what’s happening however, remember our lives are planned by God. We cannot run or hide from God, he knows where we are and what we are doing. Psalm 139:1-3 says,”You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

Remember the story from the book of Luke about the Prodigal Son. He tried to run from God and look where he ended up. But God’s love for him brought him to his senses and he realized that nothing could separate him from the love of his Father. Reading from the book of Romans 8:35, 37-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Regardless of whatever happens in your life---whether you understand it or not--- just trust God and have total confidence that he is in control and that nothing can separate us from his love.