Is God in Control?
READ: Psalm 10
Does it ever seem like the world is wickedly out of control? Every day there are stories of drug busts, rapes, random shootings, drunk driving, sexual immorality, and the like. Then you turn on talk shows to hear people making excuses for these kinds of behaviors. Next you turn on the evening TV shows or go to weekend movies and see these sins being glorified on screen and enjoyed by viewers.
As a Christian, it’s easy to get discouraged, frustrated, disgusted, even scared at the wickedness of this sinful world we live in. We might be tempted to complain, and may even wonder if God cares and is still in control. David reminds us that God does indeed care, and that He is in control. David says in Psalm 10: 14, 16-18, “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land...You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.”
What a comfort as we go about our daily lives to know that God sees and hears all, and that he is ever ready to help and defend us. We needn’t fear, for the King of Heaven and Earth is watching over us and has already delivered us from the greatest peril, eternal punishment for our sins. Though we may experience hardship now, we have a loving Savior in Heaven that is preparing a place for us, and will come to take us to his side.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: What hardships has the devil used in your life to tempt you to lose heart or question God’s love for you? In what ways can hardships be a blessing? How has God encouraged you in times of trial, as David points out in verse 17?
THINGS TO PRAY ABOUT: Ask God to provide comfort and deliverance in times of trouble. Thank God for his holy angels that protect us from all harm. Praise God for promising to hear and answer our prayers according to his will for our benefit.