Monday, February 13, 2012

God's in His heaven, All's right with the world

One of the greatest gifts God has given believers is peace. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). While the rest of the world worries about the future, we’re told, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things" (Matthew 6:34). While the world frets over all the evil it causes itself, God says, "Do not fret because of evildoers nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord..." (Psalm 37:1-3). But perhaps one of the most vivid pictures of peace comes from Psalm 2:1-4
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
"Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us."
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.

God laughs at man’s "vain" plans. He’s in control of everything! Don’t worry about tomorrow–why? Because God is sovereign. Nations raging and people plotting don’t take Him by surprise. He who sees when a sparrow falls knows the outcome of the battle before it happens. When we look around our world and shake our heads over the mess we’re in–the evil, ungodly, iniquitous mess–we can still have confidence that God is in control; yesterday, today, and forever. The world we’re in has a problem. It’s not taxes, government, or war. It’s sin. And it’s not going to leave until God re-creates the world and restores it to perfection. We don’t have to despair of sin (or its results), though, because God is still here, and He’s still in control. He still sits in the heavens and laughs. Man can’t plot anything against God–He had the first word, and He’ll have the last word, because He is the Word.

Psalm 2:10-12–Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him
.


Are you willing to trust the Lord even when the nations rage and everything seems hopeless from our perspective?

3 comments:

  1. Wonderful post, Abigial...as always. Thanks for sharing.

    Oh, and great verses that you shared!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for posting this, Abigail!

    Hey, by the way: did you get my last letter before leaving the area? If not, I can send you one... just curious. :) (Sorry to ask in a blog comment, but I wasn't sure how often you check the forum.)

    Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Bethany and Jennifer!

    Jennifer, I'm SO sorry it's taken me a while to write back to you! Things got really crazy once we got home...I kept on thinking I'd have more time to write, but life's only gotten busier since then=) Anyway, you should be getting something either tomorrow or Thursday.

    Thanks for being patient with your procrastinating penpal!

    ReplyDelete