Hey everybody! It’s a special week with a post coming your way today which is Tuesday! I’m heading to a Missions Conference tomorrow and I don’t know if I’d find the time to write an entry for Friday, so I decided to post today. I hope you’re all having a fantastic Tuesday! If you love your work, then you still have 3 days left in your work week to enjoy. Aren’t you blessed! If you don’t like your work, you can be happy too because at least Monday is over! Personally, I enjoy my job. I think that work satisfaction is important. In my mind, I’d rather work at a job that I enjoy and get paid less money than earn a lot of money while working a job I dislike. Anyway, I hope you find a measure of fulfillment in your job and enjoy it at the same time. Back to work everybody!
God is in Control
God knows. God cares. God is in control. Let that sink in. This is something that I have had to remember and learn at different points in my life. It is something that deep down inside I have peace about. However, at the same time, I often try to gain as much control as I can in my own life. At times, I try to run my own life and control as many matters as I can. There are several times God has called me to surrender my life into His hands. Sometimes, certain situations occur where the only thing I can do is trust God and leave everything in His hands. It’s something that I want to choose to do more intently. I want to surrender, give up control, and simply trust God. We might often say something such as, “I’ve got this.” Well, guess what, God’s got this. Maybe there are situations, circumstances, and problems in your life right now where you simply need to give up control and trust God to lead you. I talked about suffering in an earlier post. Perhaps, you are at a point in your life where everything seems to be crashing down on you. Rest assured, God’s in control. I will be going down a few different paths for the remainder of this post. Hopefully, at the end you can see them all connect. Think about these couple things while you continue reading…
- Do you fully believe that God is in control of this world, your life, etc.? If so, how should that affect your thinking of your circumstances, life, suffering, hope, dreams, etc.?
- Are there areas in your life that God may want you to surrender to Him, but you are struggling to keep control? If so, why?
Be Still
Be still, and know that I am God. – Psalm 46:10
I heard a sermon this past Sunday based for the most part around this verse. It was a great message. I think that sometimes we get too busy, stressed out, and overwhelmed with life. We are so occupied that we forget to simply spend some time with God. But, if you think about it, what better way is there to spend your time? I’m talking about time simply thinking and remembering about who God is: the Almighty King of the universe. Also, we can take time and remember what God has done in providing a way of hope for all people through the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins. When you feel like your life is out of control or that you have no control over your circumstances or problems, you can be still and remember that God knew exactly what would come your way and He is in control. I love this verse because it is so simple. Yet, follow it, and you can have so much peace and experience closeness with God as you rest matters in His hands. God knows. God cares. God is in control. Be still.
Salvation
I want to give an example from my own life in which I have had to realize that it’s God who is in control. I was a camp counsellor this past summer for Word of Life. During this time, I had numerous opportunities to share the gospel with kids and teens. Some of the campers I interacted with got saved. Praise God for that! There were some, however, that I could talk to for quite a while and yet they just didn’t seem to get it. At the time, I would think to myself that I just needed to convince them better or do a better job explaining things to them. While it is important to explain the message of the gospel clearly to people, this wasn’t the problem and God showed me something this past summer. He showed me that He is in control. If someone gets saved, it’s His work. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. Without Him, people are completely blinded. It is an amazing and wonderful thing to see a person get saved. I thank God that He let me witness it and play a part in sharing the gospel. Ultimately, though, it is God in control. I have peace with that now. I faced a similar situation just this past week. I have been talking with someone and sharing the gospel with a person. I know that he needs God in his life and I have faith that God will save this person. However, so far, he hasn’t accepted Jesus as his Saviour. I have done my part and will continue to do what God shows me to do. However, it is God in control and it’s only by the working of His Spirit that this person will get saved. I am at peace with that and trust God’s sovereignty in the matter. If you have the opportunity, please pray for this person that God would open his eyes and that he would get saved. God knows. God cares. God is in control.
What About You?
I want to present you with some questions that hopefully might make you think about your own life, real life situations, and how believing God is in control enters the picture.
- Are you having a hard time with money? You don’t know how you’ll make it to the next paycheck or you’re worried about having enough in the future? Maybe it’s a struggle to pay your rent or put food on the table? God knows. God cares. God is in control.
- Are you suffering? You have a sickness or disease that perhaps is life-threatening? You struggle with anxiety or depression? You feel alone? Maybe you have even struggled with suicidal thoughts? God knows. God cares. God is in control.
- Are you struggling with salvation matters? Do you struggle with assurance of your salvation? Do you have a family member, relative, or friend that is an unbeliever? Perhaps, you have shared the gospel with this person, but nothing seems to be happening? God knows. God cares. God is in control.
- Are you struggling to believe God is in control? Maybe your circumstances are very challenging? Maybe someone has hurt you? Maybe your life is basically crashing down on you? Be still. God knows. God cares. God is in control.
If God is fully in control, is there anything beyond His reach? More importantly, is there anyone, including yourself, beyond His reach? No. Be still. God knows. God cares. God is in control.
I want to end with some Bible verses that will hopefully encourage you. Maybe, they will challenge you.
Bible Verses:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” – Luke 12:22-26
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:8-11
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” – Psalm 115:3
There are many more verses, but I hope these are a starting point to help you, encourage you, or challenge you depending on what you need in your life right now.
Remember, He’s got the whole world in His hands. God knows. God cares. God is in control. Do you believe it?