ARE YOU CONVINCED THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL?

THERE IS AN EVERLASTING FUTURE, AND IT IS IN THE HANDS OF OUR MIGHTY GOD

READ PSALM 37

Psalm 37:34-40 

34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,

spreading himself like a green laurel tree.

36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;

though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,

for there is a future for the man of peace.

38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him. 

When Jesus prayed in the Garden: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” The cost of the Father’s will was very clear to Him. He knew He would carry the weight of the sins of men. He knew they were sins that He had never committed. He knew that He would receive the full, perfect and holy wrath of His Father. He would experience the separation and the abandonment from God the Father that every human deserves. How did He do it? He kept His eyes fixed on the goal.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Jesus knew that because of His obedience to the Father’s will, you and I would be saved, and that we would be spending eternity worshiping His Father. It was a joy to Him, to be the means of the salvation of the elect, in submission to the Father’s will.

David concludes this psalm by inviting us to wait on God, to trust His purposes, to rest in His justice, to enjoy the wonder of His promises.

God wants men and women to humbly place their complete trust in Him, and thus enjoy the peace of God, as they promote peace with Him to others. When we become unsatisfied and ungrateful, when we lose sight of the eternal purposes of God and the privilege we have to be His instruments, we not only lose that peace, but we can no longer be promoters and preachers of peace.

We cannot fix our eyes on ourselves or on the present. There is an everlasting future, and it is in the hands of our mighty God.

The psalms have often referred to life’s hardships. We can spin our wheels, trying to make our lives more comfortable as we place ourselves at the center of our efforts, or we can trust God to give us the necessary strength to endure and trust Him for the perfect outcome that He has planned.

Our eternal salvation is dependent totally on the work of Christ, we cannot do anything to invite it or pay for it. Our lives, what we possess, what we endure, our health -- everything is dependent on God. We can choose to go through life gratefully, satisfied with what God gives us, or with dissatisfied bitterness. But either way, our circumstances will continue to be in the hands of God.

Paul, in all the trials of his life, had learned to trust God.

2 Timothy 1:8-12

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 

We have the privilege of being a testimony for Christ and trusting God through the hardships of life. May our lives today reflect that trust.