God Is In Control

Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?  ~Job 38:25-27

As I was writing these words, a thunderstorm was raging all around. The rain was pouring down torrentially, the wind was blowing with great force, and lightning was flashing with thunder crashing all around. This spectacle of God's creation seemed to be a display of unbridled and uncontrollable power. It would seem from our perspective there is little anyone could do against its raw power and overwhelming ferocity. Sometimes our lives, with their turbulent twists and turns, also seem out of control. In our Word for today, God asks Job a question which leads us to the eventual conclusion that God is the One in control.

Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?  ~Job 38:35

Later, God asks Job another question. Whereas, the first question pointed out God even controls the very path of lightning; this question accentuates our own inability to control forces or events. Any thought or perception of control in any situation on our part is only an illusion. It is by the will of God alone we are able to even draw our very next breath... or not. It is by His hand we are guided day by day, like small children being guided across the street. Seeing then, God is in control of everything, doesn't it seem logical to trust His judgment concerning every aspect of our lives?

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  ~Isaiah 41:10

Our problem is we worry and fret too much. Perhaps the reason we worry so, is because we either do not know what God has to say concerning a matter or we have forgotten. Perhaps God's overall point to Job is that even though his life seems out of control and it seems like he is being unjustly punished or abused, God has ordained it to happen for a reason. God promises us that even in troublesome times He is with us, He will sustain us, and He strengthens us. But what does He mean about upholding us with His right hand of righteousness? Perhaps He was speaking of Jesus, the Messiah.

He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.  ~Isaiah 59:16