Our morning walking group attended a breakfast/meeting at a local senior citizens care center the other day. The topic of the presentation (after a delicious free breakfast) was Alzheimer's Disease. The bulk of the talk dealt with the several symptoms of the disease and how to differentiate between true manifestations of Alzheimer's versus normal brain behavior changes due to advancing age. As we left the program, one member of our group light-heartedly said, "Well, that's another thing to worry about." That comment which was said in jest, but with a hint of seriousness, got me to thinking about the adult Sunday morning Bible study in which Greg and I are participating at our church.
We are reading and studying the book by Chip Ingram entitled God As He Longs For You To See Him. The most recent chapter dealt with the Sovereignty of God. In the beginning of that chapter Chip says he worships God "because He is before all things, He created all things, He upholds all things, He is above all things, He knows all things, He accomplishes all things, He rules over all things, and He is in control of all things." WOW! With that description of God, I have to agree with Chip Ingram when he writes that this means God "is the boss"; He is '"the King"'; He is "ruler of everything"! Chip further writes that when he thinks of the Sovereignty of God, the phrase he likes best is that '"God is in control."'
I mentioned this phrase earlier in my blog entries: God is in control. What does this expression mean? Chip says God is in control; He is Sovereign. "Nothing will enter your life that God does not either decree or allow. And nothing will ever enter your life that, if you are willing to trust in Him, he cannot work out for your good." Whatever enters our lives will be used by God for our benefit.
We are quick to agree with this idea whenever what comes into our life is of a positive nature: job promotion, pay increase, new car, new house, winning lottery ticket, etc. However, when the negative enters our life: marriage on the rocks, kids misbehaving, the stock market tanking, someone we love is in ICU, etc. we tend to choose to depress and cry out, "Why me, Lord?" We think no good could ever come out of what is happening to us. What we don't consider is voiced by Chip Ingram when he writes, "God is doing things that you don't understand, things that are deeper and better and more wonderful than you imagined, but you must believe!"
We spend so much time in our lives trying to manipulate situations. We try to figure out how to make them work the way we want them to go. In other words, we spend a great deal of our time trying to live "balanced" lives. Lives that are in our control. And during these "balanced" times we forget about God - the One who controls all things in the universe. But when events occur which throw everything out of equilibrium, such as cancer, our lives become suddenly "unbalanced". And when our lives are "unbalanced" we realize that we are not in control. Eventually we are forced to realize that God, not we, are in control of our universe. Greg and I heard a sermon this past weekend upon this very subject. The pastor said the best thing we can do is live "unbalanced" lives. Lives in which we acknowledge that the person in control is God and trust Him, knowing that He is working all things for our good, even things which we don't understand and which seem so unfair.
How do we live this "unbalanced" life daily? Oswald Chambers has a very short, simple answer: "Absolutely refuse to worry." What?! That's easier said than done! Actually, "that" is easier done than said. Remember, God is Sovereign; He is in control - of everything. We have Romans 8:28 - "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." We can put this concept into practice by remembering that whenever something negative happens: pray, but don't worry.
So what should we do when we experience something that seems hard, unfair, depressing, or impossible? To quote once again Chip Ingram: we should "stop fighting, stop resisting, stop complaining, and start trusting your Sovereign heavenly Father." Amen, Chip, Amen!
Next time I'll talk about "opening lines..."
Louise
This is what the LORD says-Israel's King
and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty; I am
the first and I am the last; apart from me
there is no God...Is there any God besides
me? No, there is no other Rock; I know
not one."
Isaiah 44:6-8
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