Good morning,
God’s perfect, powerful plans
This week in America we are celebrating a holiday called Labor Day. In the past we celebrated this holiday to honor the men and women who have worked so hard to make our country strong and successful. While this is still true, this year we have a whole new set of circumstances that give a special meaning to what Labor Day means for us now. Last week the most powerful storm we have ever had in America came on shore in our southern states with powerful winds and a record 51 inches (1.3 Meters) of rain that will require many years of very difficult labor and great expense for that area to recover from their losses. For those of us in the Western part of our county, we have so many serious forest fires that our air is thick with smoke and our fire crews are working to exhaustion to stop their destructive progress. For those states in the East, our weather experts are telling us that in a week or so we may have another powerful storm that could cause great damage for folks in that area. Then to add to these issues we are facing a power hungry ruler from North Korea who would like to put all of us out of work, plus a few other countries around the world who think the same way. Where is God when we need him?
I guess we need to ask, Who is controlling the weather? Then we need to ask, Who controls the lightning that starts most of these destructive fires? The Bible makes it very clear that God, and only God, controls the wind and the waves and the storms. The Bible also makes it clear that our God is the one who who knows what to do with angry leaders and countries who have decided to destroy other people and other nations. The Psalmist wrote, Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one.(Psa.2:1,2) The God of the Bible is the one who has put together the nations of the world. They rise and fall at his command. When that Psalm was written, they were thinking of David and Israel, but the Apostles in the New Testament used those same verses to describe their situation thousands of years later. Jesus had been crucified and been raised again. The young church was under fire. Then they quoted from this same Psalm, But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury.(vs.4,5) The church was being threatened by their country leaders, but they knew that what was happening to them was still a part of God’s plan. They said of their situation, But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.(Acts 4:28) They knew that the God of the Bible was in full control of their situation. What they prayed then, and what needs to be our prayer now is, And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. (v.29) Our difficult situations today give us wonderful opportunities to live out our faith in such a way that what we say will become the truth that they have longed for, the examples that they need, to also trust our God and not their fears during these difficult times.
Psalms 2:4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury.
Roy Wisner
