New Morning Mercies #225

Remember, what is out of your control exists under the careful control of the One who is all-knowing, all-wise, all-good.

Too much of our emotional energy is sapped by worry. Too many of us are captured by discouragement. Too many of us are too often motivated by fear. Too many of us regularly lose sleep because of worry. Too many of us feel our lives are out of control. Too many of us wish that we had power that we will never have. Too many of us are paralyzed by regret. Too many of us wonder where God is and what he is doing. Too many of us feel alone and misunderstood. Too many of us envy the lives of others. Too many of us think that it’s us against the world. Too many of us, when we are assessing our lives, leave out the ultimate explanatory fact—the existence, character, and plan of God.

I am convinced that many of us need to take in or return to the worldview that is presented to us in the book of Daniel. Daniel’s world is a world of trouble. It’s a world of injustice, oppression, idolatry, danger, political corruption, war, and various other kinds of trouble, but it is not a world that is out of control. In fact, in the face of all the trouble, Daniel presents to us the very opposite of what we would tend to think if we were to assess his world. Daniel presents to us a world that, in every way and at every point, is under the control of One who is powerful and wise, and who holds the events of human history in the palms of his hands. Events happen according to his plan. History moves according to his will. Individuals’ lives are shaped by his purpose. It is a world under rule. Consider these words: “He is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth” (Dan. 6:26–27).

Many things in your life are out of your control. You face many things that make you feel unprepared, small, or weak. But you must not give way to thinking that your life is out of control. You need to remind yourself of the truths that Daniel confronts us all with—that over all the trouble that confounds and dismays us is a God of glorious wisdom, power, and grace who rules every moment of every situation. No, you will not always see his hand. You often won’t understand what he is doing. There will be points when life won’t make sense to you. At times, you will wish that life could be different. There will be moments when you will feel unprepared for what is on your plate. In these moments, look up and remember that above it all there is a throne, and on it sits a God of unimaginable majesty, ruling all for his glory and for your good.

For further study and encouragement: Daniel 6