After all of the hysteria over World War III, which didn’t happen by the way, I am reminded of one of the great truths of Scripture: divine sovereignty. In other words, God always gets His way. This truth is very plain throughout Scripture.
The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
God has already decided what is going to happen today, tomorrow, and every day from now until the end of time. Every little detail of what is to come had already been decided by God, and will come to pass exactly as He wills it. He cannot be surprised by even the most unexpected event. No person is so unpredictable that God doesn’t know exactly what that person is going to do every moment of their life (not even Trump). Everything that happens, everything that will happen, has been ordained by our loving God for our good and His glory.
It’s important that we hold on to this truth in these tumultuous times, or we risk being whipped up into a panic by the news media’s bombshell of the day. It’s sad (and kind of funny) to watch people without God get worked up into a frenzy over the outrage of the week, only to switch to something entirely different the next week, utterly forgetting what they were sure was the end of the world the week before. Christians shouldn’t be this way. We can and should rest secure in the knowledge that God has planned the future and that it is all going to be fine, even if there are some pretty big bumps along the way. God has never lost control of human affairs and He never will. I don’t know if or when World War III will happen, but I know, as every Christian should, that if war breaks out it is not because, as deists think, God forgot He had a casserole in the oven and just left the world to its own devices.
What we know, that the world doesn’t, is that no matter how high world tensions are, the world will not slip into war unless God permits it. This truth alone would not be comforting if it weren’t for the knowledge that God cares deeply for each and every saint, and has their eternal best interest at heart. As the Apostle Paul wrote:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
This does not mean that all things are fun or pleasant, or even that we won’t die; but rather that whatever God ordains is the best thing for us whether it be peace or suffering, life or death. He will let nothing happen to us that we will not someday look back and thank Him for. It’s hard to worry about world events when you know that the Sovereign of the universe cares for you, personally. If we remember this truth, it is a source of great comfort, knowing that no matter what happens, we’re going to be better for it.
Applied Christianity 