He was the picture of health, never sick a day in
his life. Now he’s gone, in only six months.
I bet you’ve known someone who fits that
description. I certainly have. And when a friend or loved one who seemed
invincible succumbs to a sudden illness, it reminds us of the fragility of life
and how we are not in control of it.
The other night I sat around the table with a group
of leaders from our church. At the end of a long meeting we all shared personal
prayer requests. One man made a light-hearted comment about losing control of
his boisterous Sunday School class, and someone else joked that he only had the
“illusion of control” in the first place.
That’s true, isn’t it? We have only the illusion of
control, not just in leading a Sunday School class but in everything. Without
Christ, this realization could lead us into despair. But we who follow Him take
great comfort in knowing that our lives are in the hands of a sovereign God.
Our God exercises sovereign control over –
The weather: fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! (Psalm 148:8)
The rise and fall of nations: He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding (Daniel 2:21)
Human government: For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1).
Human Disabilities: Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? (Exodus 4:11)
Wealth: You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth… (Deuteronomy 8:18)
Life and death: “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal; and there is no one who can deliver from My hand (Deuteronomy 32:39).
The days allotted to us: My times are in your hand… (Psalm 31:15). …in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:16).
Those who are saved and brought to heaven: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37); “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” (John 6:44).
Everything! Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases (Psalm 115:3). Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps (Psalm 135:6)
I suppose some people look at verses like these,
and conclude that, if God controls all things, our decisions don’t matter. But
though we don’t fully understand it, God both holds us responsible and gives us
responsibility.
Someone has said, “Responsibility = my response to
His ability.” Maybe that sounds trite, but
it’s also true. Since His ability, compassion, and wisdom are infinite, my responsibility is to trust and obey Him. And knowing that the hands which hold all things bear the marks of the nails gives me peace beyond measure.
