Beyond Our Control
Consider the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor
gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Matthew 6
This has been a difficult couple of weeks with many ups and
downs. There have been many things that are out of my control, and it seems
like the harder I try to get them in control the worse they get. I have been so
frustrated and overwhelmed which has made me irritable and unreasonable. I
finally sat down and cried, telling God I had just had it. I looked over and
through the mist of my tears I saw something unexpected. It was a robin. That
in itself is not so unusual, but the fact that it was November made me take
notice. The robin was happily hopping from one seed to the next, chirping a
cheerful tune. It was not worried about where they next bite was going to come
from, but enjoying each one as it came along. As I watched its carefree trek
through the parking lot, I thought of the old TV announcement. “Ladies and
Gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control…” followed by whatever the
problem was. I realized that although my situation was out of my control, it
was not out of God’s.
I am not the first or the last to try to control my own
circumstances. One of the earliest examples is the tower of Babel. They decided
to make their own way to heaven. Remember how well that worked out? All their
languages were confused, frustrating High School students in foreign language
courses ever since. Then there was Abraham, who knew God had promised him a
son, but couldn’t see the result. He got impatient and he and Sarah took
matters into their own hands. Ishmael, Hagar’s
son, was the result of their efforts to control things. While God did bless
Ishmael and make him into a great nation in his own right, that nation has been
at war with the children of Israel ever since. Many more instances occur in the
Bible and in our lives.
Fortunately, God has provided for all our needs, including
our need for security. He tells us in Psalms 46:1 that he is our refuge and our
strength, a very present help in times of trouble. In verse 10 he urges us to
Be still and know that he is God.” He reminds us that we are in a battle, and that our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against powers and authorities and rulers in high places. (Ephesians 6)He
says that he is the Lord our God who upholds us with his righteous right hand.(Isaiah 40:31) TAKE HEART
