Lord of All!
"Praise be to You O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)."
No matter what you are facing today, you can know with certainty that God is in control. It may seem as though your world is falling apart, but because God reigns and is sovereign, He has it under control. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Not one thing happens that He doesn't already know about. He has already been there. He knows the end from the beginning and He knows what is best for you. "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 21:6)."
Now your circumstances may not be good. In fact, you may be in a painful trial at the moment and wonder if it will ever end. My friend, rest in the truth that God is a good Father and will work it all (the despairing times, the painful times, the times of sickness and the good times) out for your good and His glory. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed into the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:28-29)." Notice God's purpose of working for our good: to be conformed into the likeness of His Son. In every trial, every heartbreak, every loss, every season of suffering, God lovingly and mercifully uses it to make you more like His Son.
Think about it for a moment, when in your life do you desperately cry out for God? Is it when everything is going good- when you have money to pay the bills, when your relationships are wonderful, when your business is thriving or when your children are following the path of righteousness? More than likely, your answer to these questions was no. You see, it is when we realize that we cannot do it on our own and realize we are not in control that God steps in and shows us just how great and mighty and merciful He is.
When we come to the place of brokenness and surrender to the Lord, we find rest. The rest our souls have been longing for. We come to experience a peace like none other. A peace than the world could not possibly give. A peace that goes far beyond our human comprehension. A peace that satisfies in the midst of the hardest of times. A peace that comes in knowing the Lord Jesus and trusting He has us and everything in this world under control. Jesus is the One who sustains and carries us throughout life. "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you (Isaiah 46:4)."
Please know this, God always answers our prayers....and sometimes He says no. However, in His sovereignty, He always knows what is best for us. We can only see things from our limited perspective and we think we know what is best. But our thoughts are not God's thoughts, nor our ways His ways. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9)." Because God is abounding in love, because He is righteous, because He is holy, because He is just, because He is merciful, because He is truth, His answer will always be right. We may not understand on this side of eternity, but one day we will.
So beloved, keep pressing on and keep fighting the good fight of faith. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the anchor for your soul. "So, do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised (Hebrews 10:35)."
No matter what you are facing today, you can know with certainty that God is in control. It may seem as though your world is falling apart, but because God reigns and is sovereign, He has it under control. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Not one thing happens that He doesn't already know about. He has already been there. He knows the end from the beginning and He knows what is best for you. "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 21:6)."
Now your circumstances may not be good. In fact, you may be in a painful trial at the moment and wonder if it will ever end. My friend, rest in the truth that God is a good Father and will work it all (the despairing times, the painful times, the times of sickness and the good times) out for your good and His glory. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed into the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:28-29)." Notice God's purpose of working for our good: to be conformed into the likeness of His Son. In every trial, every heartbreak, every loss, every season of suffering, God lovingly and mercifully uses it to make you more like His Son.
Think about it for a moment, when in your life do you desperately cry out for God? Is it when everything is going good- when you have money to pay the bills, when your relationships are wonderful, when your business is thriving or when your children are following the path of righteousness? More than likely, your answer to these questions was no. You see, it is when we realize that we cannot do it on our own and realize we are not in control that God steps in and shows us just how great and mighty and merciful He is.
When we come to the place of brokenness and surrender to the Lord, we find rest. The rest our souls have been longing for. We come to experience a peace like none other. A peace than the world could not possibly give. A peace that goes far beyond our human comprehension. A peace that satisfies in the midst of the hardest of times. A peace that comes in knowing the Lord Jesus and trusting He has us and everything in this world under control. Jesus is the One who sustains and carries us throughout life. "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you (Isaiah 46:4)."
Please know this, God always answers our prayers....and sometimes He says no. However, in His sovereignty, He always knows what is best for us. We can only see things from our limited perspective and we think we know what is best. But our thoughts are not God's thoughts, nor our ways His ways. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9)." Because God is abounding in love, because He is righteous, because He is holy, because He is just, because He is merciful, because He is truth, His answer will always be right. We may not understand on this side of eternity, but one day we will.
So beloved, keep pressing on and keep fighting the good fight of faith. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the anchor for your soul. "So, do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised (Hebrews 10:35)."
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