The turmoil around the globe and in our country has reminded me of who God is.
There is only one God. And He exists in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And this one God, in three persons is eternal. Has no beginning and no end. No one or no thing created Him, He is the Uncreated Creator of all.
He is incomprehensible. We cannot fully comprehend who He is and fully understand all of His ways, but in His goodness and love, He has seen fit to allow us to truly know Him.
He is unchanging, immutable.
He is infinite in all things, existence, attributes and perfections. He’s almighty. Perfectly wise. He is just and fair. Good. And all that is good flows from Him.
And because He has created all things, He is sovereign over all things. He didn’t create, wind it up and leave it alone. Fend for yourselves. No, according to His word, He rules and governs all created things according to His holy and righteous will.
In Isaiah 46:9-11, our God known by the personal name, Yahweh, speaks and says: “I am God, and no one is like me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will. I call a bird of prey from the east, a man for my purpose from a far country. Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about.”
Psalm 135:6 gloriously proclaims: “The Lord does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths.”
In Matthew 10, Jesus brings his disciples together and gives them instructions before He sends them out. And he predicts persecutions and troubles for them. He says I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. But then reminds them with comforting words in verses 29-31, “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Even Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, gives a reminder about our God who is carrying out His glorious plan. He writes in chapter 1, verse 11, “In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will.”
Is God surprised? Not one bit. Has our circumstances and current events gained the upper hand on God, catching Him off guard, leaving Him scrambling on how to proceed next? Not one bit.
This is our God who was not even caught off guard from the entrance of sin into the world. For the Son was given over to be crucified for sinners, according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God as it says in Acts. Or, as Peter writes, Jesus the Messiah, God the Son in the flesh, was foreknown before the foundation of the world.
The Cross of Christ for sin was under the control and according to the purpose of God. If such an act — the perfect sacrifice for sin — was under His control, certainly our national predicament is not beyond His power and purpose.
God is in control. And that isn’t just some Christian cliché. It’s to be the reality in which we live in this world.
He rules and He governs according to His holy and righteous will. Nothing happens in His creation without His appointment.
This may baffle and confused us. Maybe it causes more questions to flood our minds, questions that we aren’t capable of fully answering because God isn’t like us, He’s infinite and perfect.
But God has spoken to us in His Word. Throughout the testimony of scripture, it’s shown that He is in control. In light of this infallible truth, we have great cause for unimaginable comfort in times like this.
Because God is in control, I can rest my head on my pillow each night in supreme comfort and peace. We can live our lives without anxiety, worry and fear. If God wasn’t in control then that would be cause for alarm.
Friends, God has given such glorious promises to those who trust in Him. Jeremiah 17:7-9 assures us that, “The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.”
Trust in Him. Hope in Him. Find your peace and consolation in Him and Him alone. He alone is in control of all things.
But my prayer is that our trust and hope and peace would be more than just theology that resides in our minds, but that our theology — the truth of God as seen in His Word — would dictate our lives and our response to life’s circumstances.
