Filmed during the COVID-19 outbreak, here's my thought's on God being in control. Transcript Today I'm drinking A&W drive through coffee because I gave Hannah a ride to work. But rest assured this was drive through only and I want to remind everyone to stay at home unless absolutely necessary and only order drive through, take out, or delivery. In times of crisis like we are faced with today, we as humans often try to find something to control, because the world feels so out of control. Sometimes we do this destructively by trying to control those around us. Other times we do this productively by trying to control things by cleaning our homes or arranging our schedules. But ultimately we still feel a sense that things are out of our control. The truth is, current circumstances in the world are out of our control, but they are not out of God's ultimate control. And while we may not ever understand why He allows certain things to happen, we can rest assured that He is good and loves us. One of the verses in the Bible I hear most commonly used out of context, is Jeremiah 29:11. I am sure we've all heard it in sermons or songs or read it on bumper stickers, wall plaques, or fridge magnets. It says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. This is an important and hopeful verse in the Bible, but it by no means is a promise that God will stop every bad thing from happening to you or that things won't be difficult at times. Jesus said in John 16:32-33: “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Make no mistake, while there are many powerful promises found in God's word for His people, Jesus also made it equally clear we will face difficult circumstances that we cannot control. In the book of Jeremiah, the famous hopeful verse came after a sobering corrective prophecy, as most Biblical prophecies are. Jeremiah had written a letter to the exiled Jews captured by the Babylonians, telling them that though they expected God to change their current circumstances, that God was not going to for another 70 years. But Jeremiah didn't stop there, He went on to the famous Jeremiah 29:11 verse, speaking about how God has a hope and a future for them. There is no immediate solution that we can control in our current circumstances. Many have tried make shift attempts at keeping the virus at bay and in some cases risked their own lives doing so. Others have ignored the warnings of authorities and treated the virus like it doesn't exist. We cannot be our own saviours and we also cannot ignore our own problems. We need to place our trust into God's hands and not our own hands. During this time please follow the advice of official health authorities and disregard make shift remedies and advice from people whose jobs are not in the medical field, no matter how well meaning they may be. Stay home and wash your hands often. Relinquish the false need to control your circumstances and recognize that it's only in surrendering our circumstances, ourselves, and our everything to Jesus, that we find true peace and allow Him to be in control. Or rather, to recognize he already is. I'm praying for you always, God bless Discussion Do you find it hard to surrender to the fact you aren't in control or do you find it comforting? Why or why not?
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Chris GreenI'm a children/youth minister who loves God and loves people. I'm doing my part to point myself and others to Jesus. Archives
March 2021
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