God is in control.
This is more than a mere Christian cliche; this is a biblical truth that provides believers with a sure and steady anchor of hope for the soul. In an increasingly chaotic world, with evil seemingly ruling each and every day, it is comforting beyond understanding to know that the triune God of the universe is sovereign over all. As the classic children's song affirms, He has the whole world in His hands, and because of that, we have no need to fear the chaos around us or be dismayed by it; we are instead invited to cling to the supremacy of God Almighty.
In our individual lives, for the most part, nothing is constant. For me personally, for example, my love for sports has steadily diminished over the years. Sure, I still keep up with football, basketball, and baseball, to an extent, but I watch significantly less sports nowadays than I ever have simply because my daily viewing preferences have changed. Furthermore, just a few years ago, I would have laughed in your face if you were to tell me that I would one day be a fan of coffee. After many attempts of trying the caffeinated nectar from heaven, I concluded a while back that it just wasn't for me, but I am grateful that I have now seen the light and my taste buds have adjusted accordingly.
Times and preferences changes, and that will be the case until the day this earth is made new again upon the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As long as our world revolves around the sun, the only constant thing in life will be inconsistency (and the presence of taxes, of course). Thus, the shifting of our own tectonic plates reminds us that we are finite creatures with no control over the universe. I could not even control my taste buds, for crying out loud! Despite our best and futile efforts, we are powerless to truly control things the way we want to control them. Humanity craves control, longs to make themselves sovereign, but in the end, even the most authoritative figures from history do not really have that much control of anything.
While we desire sovereignty, God alone actually possess it. He was, is, and will forevermore be in control of the entire universe, from the mundane happenings to the life-altering occurrences and everything in between. The apostle Paul reminds us that God holds all things together through Christ (Colossians 1:17), and the Old Testament tells us that "[m]any are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand" (Proverbs 19:21). Trusting in the sovereignty of God means that we trust that "[t]he Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all" (Psalm 103:19). According to the consistent testimony of Scripture, we worship and serve a God who is eternally enthroned as the sovereign King of kings, and there is nothing that can ever happen in this world that will cause God's sovereignty to be compromised or undercut.
This is a particularly needed reminder for us in light of recent world events taking place in Eastern Europe. In the perpetual vying for worldly sovereignty, take heart in knowing, believer, that the rulers of this world will fade just as the flowers wither every winter upon the season's first frost. True sovereignty will always elude them, and regardless of governmental decrees and the results of unjust wars, no one can ever accumulate this true sovereignty in this life, for at the end of the day, even earthly authorities are subject to a higher, heavenly authority. All the power of this world pales in comparison to the power of God. This is precisely why Christians are beckoned to trust in God and His sovereignty alone and above all and to forsake placing any semblance of hope in anything or anyone in this life. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, and when their time of passing is here, God will still be on His throne and will still be in control of all things.
Today, in the midst of our world's latest round of devastation and turmoil, turn your eyes upon the One who has "made everything for its purpose" (Proverbs 16:4). While full comprehension of how this works is impossible for us to obtain, we are nevertheless grateful that "all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28). If you are not careful, news outlets and social media will persuade you to believe that God's sovereignty deserves to be, at least, questioned, and disposed of, at worst. If God is sovereign, how could He allow such evil to run rampant? However, as we are biblically called to trust in God's sovereignty, let us be thankful that our hope is not built on the rulers or authorities of this world but is built on nothing less than Jesus's blood and righteousness. We dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock, we stand because all other non-sovereign ground is sinking sand.
Christian, savor this today, tomorrow, and until eternity...
God is in control.
For His glory,
Cody Fleenor
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