Watching the news recently, I commented to a friend, “I just don’t watch the news anymore. It’s not very uplifting and it discourages me.” Her reply confronted me with a very important truth. She said, “I do, otherwise I would not know how to pray!” I realized immediately she was right. How can I say I believe God is sovereign if I am not praying and trusting His sovereignty?
In Discovering the Voice of God, Patricia Shirer makes this profound statement: “Nothing catches God off guard or alters His agenda.” Why then would I be discouraged knowing God is in control unless I didn’t believe it? Tony Evans wisely adds, “If you are anxious and out of control you have forgotten who is in control.” Yes, I had forgotten the awesome power and control of God. Jesus told His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” What a glorious reminder.
God is good and faithful, and with God, nothing will be impossible. But do I truly believe this if I am not actively seeking Him and specifically praying for our nation and our world? I know that no matter what the outcome of the problems of the world, God is in control. Psalm 46:7-11 states it plainly:
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
In addition to prayer, shouldn’t we be praising God and meditating on His power and glory? Verses like Isaiah 40: 21-22 remind us, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.” He is Almighty God. He is in control. We have nothing to fear.
David Jeremiah encourages us to see that “the God of the ages is the Lord of details. He oversees more than we know, and He knows more than we will ever comprehend. God is sovereign, in control, and overseeing the details of our life, whether we comprehend it at the moment or not” (Circumstantial Evidence, p. 14).
So, let’s praise and honor God! Remembering He is in control, let’s commit to praying fervently for our country, state, and city. God’s Word assures us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12).
Lord, you have commanded us to be strong and courageous — NOT to be afraid and NOT to be discouraged. Remind us that You, the Lord our God, will be with us wherever we go. “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth” (Psalm 67:1-4).
In Jesus’s Holy Almighty Name, Amen.
