God is in Control

Life gets messy. This is true, for believers and unbelievers alike. We all have moments of hardship and unexpected challenges… things happen out of our control. And we don’t like it! Perhaps for most of us, it’s not easy to accept that aside from the decisions we choose to make, we really don’t have much control over life overall.

So how do we get through when the times are tough?

Well the good news is, we know the One who is sovereign and always in control! On top of that, we have His Son who has overcome the world (John 16:33). So the first step is to take our eyes off the situation and turn them to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). He focused on the joy set before Him and endured much more than we ever will, on our behalf; this means we also can focus on the joy set before us, found in and through Him!

Even when life feels out of control, we still have control of our own actions. We must turn to what we know is true and unchanging—and that is the Word of God. God’s Word is living and active, therefore able to work throughout our lives continuously (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word tells us Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). And He beckons those who are weary to come to Him and He will give rest (Matthew 11:28-30). We can rest secure in Jesus (John 10:27-30) and the fact that God is good and working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

The Lord will keep in perfect peace the ones whose minds are steadfast because they trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). “So trust in the Eternal One forever, for He is like a great Rock—strong, stable, trustworthy, and lasting (Isaiah 26:4).” To live this out is our responsibility, but we know that we never walk alone—the Holy Spirit is always with us, to lead and guide us on the right path (John 14:26; Romans 8:5-6; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:15-21).

We can choose to trust God and speak life in the midst of difficult circumstances. These are to be expected anyway as Christ forewarned, but with that warning He uses the sweet reminder of His triumph to ease our fears (John 16:33). This corrupt world is not our true home (Philippians 3:20); we look forward to our eternal resting place reserved in heaven (John 14:1-4)…we look forward to perfection with Him (Philippians 3:21). I surely can’t wait for that day!