Why is it so hard to believe God is the one in control of everything? Seriously. I wish I understood this. What I do know is that when we remember God is in Control we find hope to be still.
There are so many questions I have about God being in control in this crazy world…
Why do bad things happen to good people?
How is it possible that children are raped in good Christian homes?
I don’t have any good Church answers for you, just questions and faith.
Why Do We Need to Remember God Is in Control?
I believe in Christ Jesus. He is All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Present, and He really cares about all things. But I struggle to remember that God is in control.
I mentally battle the idea that God is love and God is just but the same God also allows bad things to happen all the time.
Really, God could step in and stop any number of unspeakable horrors but He allows them.
Why doesn’t God step in more often to rescue the helpless and protect the weak?
Have you ever wondered or struggled to remember God is still in control of it all?
He is in control and tells us to be still, even when life makes no sense.
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 AMP)
What Does God Say About Control?
Psalm 46:10 reminds us that God says a lot about control. He specifies Who is in control and how to stop trying to take that control away from HIM.
We find many reminders to be still in the book of Psalms. The book of Psalms are real songs that have been sung for thousands of years. Songs that remind us to trust God, songs to help us remember who God is, and songs that let us reflect on who we are compared to our Lord Jesus Christ.
This song is a reminder that the Lord of Hosts is still in control of the World. Isn’t it nice that they needed help remembering that just like we do today?!?!
Does the Bible Say God is in Control?
Psalm 46:10 shows us that life is hard for everyone in different seasons. In those hard seasons, it’s easy to doubt God and forget that He is in control.
The Psalm starts with a reminder that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
Over and over again he says, “Be still and know that I am God,” which helps us remember God is in control.
Do Not Worry, God Is In Control
Are you surrounded by trouble and in need of strength and refuge? Be still with God in that season.
What kind of trouble can you be still with God through?
- Change (seriously, change is hard)
- Natural disasters
- Earthquakes
- Hurricanes
- Landslides
- War
- And anything else you can imagine
It is God who created the world, everything that exists came from His spoken word. To this day God is in control of the Earth and all who live on it.
Related Post: How to Love God When Life Changes: My Priorities
Did you find this mid-series? Go back here and read the intro and keep up with the series.
God Is In Control of Everything – Believe It!
Does God provide for us? Yes! God is in control of everything!
Does God protect us? Yes! God is in control of everything!
Does God care when our Christian marriage is struggling? Yes! God cares about you and your cares!
God is in control, meaning God knows what is happening. The struggles you are facing did not catch God off guard.
Things get crazy when we believe God is not in control. That is a lie from the enemy! Begin letting God take control over your life – even the hard parts!
When it seems the trouble you face is bigger than you can handle, remember your God created the world and is still in control.
When Life is Hard and God Seems Distant
God’s sovereignty is what we are really talking about here. It is a difficult concept to understand. How does God’s sovereignty factor into the study of learning how to be still and know God more?
God’s sovereign hand is how He is in control even when it feels like he is far off and uninterested in our struggles. How?
God created this world perfectly but gave us free will.
Sin entered the minds of man because of fearful hearts. Then the act of sin entered the world and messed up perfection.
Why did God allow sin to spoil paradise? He could have created perfectly obedient people or never allowed any temptation on Earth, to begin with.
Why Is There Sin?
I never understood this until I had children. If love and obedience are not a choice it doesn’t count. No one wants obedience that is forced, it breaks relationships over the long term.
God wanted His children to choose Him, so there had to be a choice.
After sin entered this perfect world it began to die. Sin births sin and so each generation is more corrupt and perverted than the last. Sin even affects the seasons and land we walk on. It is all dying.
But God…
But God is still in control, watching, acting, moving, and waiting. God’s control, His righteous right hand offers us a way of escape.
God’s plan…
There will come a day when God has been patient enough with sinful men. There will come a day when this sin-filled world will end, judgment will come and God will set everything right.
We see the love of God in this.
We must remember God is in control if we ever want to experience the peace of, "Be still and know that I am God." Share on XRelated: How to Embrace Sex in a Christian Marriage as a Rape Victim
God Will Judge Sin
Every wrong in this world has been seen by God. Even if it seems evil men got away with sin, they will be judged by God.
God’s time is not my time and God’s ways are not my ways. We are all in the hand of the Lord.
This helps me in hard times:
- Remember the rapist who lived to old age will be judged at the end of days.
- The murderer who was never convicted will be judged at the end of days.
- Those parents who abused and neglected their children will be judged at the end of days.
Bad people seem to get away with hurting others. God sees. God will punish.
All the injustice that has us filled up with bitterness and resentment will be handled by God’s providence. in God’s sovereign time. That is one truth that helped me let go of the hurt and learn to forgive.
The Lord reigns!
Related Post: The Ancient of Days, Meaning God will Judge: The Way To Forgiveness
How to Relax and Remember God is in Control
The application of Psalm 46:10 is simple. Reminder to relax, God is in control of all things.
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” :4
What a funny phrase to use in this psalm about God being in control. In Scripture rivers and streams of water are often Spiritual references to the refreshing and instruction of the Bible. It also alludes to the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.
God is not against relaxation, in fact, He tells us to rest in Him.
The King’s heart is for you! Part of His plan for you involves rest and peace. If you ever doubt it, think of the promised land. The same Heavenly Father who gave that land to Israel loves you and has eternal life for you.
The Lord almighty has good plans and good things in mind for His children. The purpose of the Lord, the purpose of His will is for His glory and our good.
How can we rest in His peace?
- Read the Bible.
- Remember eternity is our home.
Related Post: Be Still and Trust God When Change Is Hard
1. Read the Bible
God’s Word was given as a refreshing hope. God gives the inhabitants of the Earth His Church to proclaim the Good News and spread His joy.
No one needs to go to that final judgment without the gift of salvation. Sin is destroying the world but God did not leave us without hope.
God would save anyone who comes to Him, admits their sin, and submits to His leadership. Salvation is His free gift to save the lost world.
God’s promise is eternal life for all who believe! The mind of man and the heart of man work against believing we need a savior, but He is willing that all be saved!
We learn that and so much more from reading the Bible. We get to know Him and that refreshes us more than most other things.
2. Remember Eternity is Our Home
Instead of being fearful of the troubles that surround us, we should remember they are temporary.
God repeats a phrase that we need here, “Do not fear for I am with you.”
Believe it. Live by it!
As children of God, this world is not our home. We have a forever home with God to look forward to. Instead of getting stuck in the hard parts of our story we must rise up and be part of God’s bigger story and share our hope with the lost.
The host of heaven looks onto the life of every living thing, waiting for man’s heart to turn to the Lord of lords!
God is still in control, be still and share The Gospel
Relate: 20 Bible Verses About Worry and Stress
Not Trusting God Is Sin
Some final thoughts on Psalm 46:10. There are days when the troubles, needs, and chaos of my life overtake me.
- Chronic Illness brings pain and a struggle to function.
- Marriage brings challenges I never imagined.
- Motherhood is more demanding than any other calling in life.
- Ministry is wonderful but exhausting.
- Life always seems to have one more hard thing to throw at us
But God says,
“Be still and know that I am God.”
“You can be still and remember I am God and I am still in control.”
“Be still and understand that nothing happens to one of God’s children that He doesn’t know about beforehand and handle judgment over.”
If God says to do something and we refuse to do it, that’s a sin. Outright sin!
But if God says do this and we try and struggle and fail and try and struggle and get better and try and struggle and fall down… That’s not a sin.
God never requires perfection. He only desires that we stay in the process with Him!
Where are you in the process today?
Remember, God Will Be Exalted One Day
When this life is over and we stand before the Ancient of Days as He judges the world, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
In the waiting time, when life is hard and we don’t understand, we can run to God and let Him be a stronghold where we hide from the troubles surrounding us. God wants us to be still in Him as a place of refuge and strength.
Know What God Says About Fear
God says a lot about fear. It’s mentioned in scripture more than 400 times. The truth is that when life is hard, fear is our first human reaction.
Thankfully we can pause, regroup, and choose to give God control instead of giving fear control.
Related: 7 Fear Settling Qualities of God
A Prayer to Remember God is in Control of Everything
Mighty God,
You created everything that exists with just a Word. I exalt You, Creator, God of the Universe, Ancient of days seated above all – watching and judging the world.
Forgive me for the times I’ve taken control to dole out judgment myself, impatient of Your timing. Help me see the lost through Your eyes, share the hope of Your salvation, and forgive them.
Forgive me for getting so stuck in the pain and hardship of my smaller story that I have become useless in Your bigger story. Your story is one of hope and rescue, salvation and joy. Open my eyes and give me a renewed passion to spread the Gospel.
You are God and I will exalt You all the days of my life.
Amen
Will You Choose to Remember God is in Control Today?
God is in control. It doesn’t always feel like it. We can’t always see His hand at work in the process when it hurts. Often it feels like He’s silent when we need Him most. Bad things happen every day.
- People we love get sick and die.
- Children are mistreated.
- Infidelity and abuse ruin marriage.
- Pastors fall short.
- Friends betray us.
But God is in control. We must remember God is in control if we ever want to experience the peace of God that accompanies the command, “Be still and know that I am God.”
I want to challenge you as we close today to Google, “God is in control Bible verses,” and read through a few to be encouraged in your faith walk!
in HIM,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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What a great post! God is absolutely in control.
Thanks Kelsey, praying for you today.
I learned so much about God’s nature when I had kids too. And also agree that it’s hard to see how something terrible like an abused child could be part of His plan. But it’s comforting to me to realize that we can ask our questions and then leave that burden with Him.
Amen to that Jordan!
What a great reminder, thank you!
Praying you have a blessed day Lori!
There are such interesting perspectives presented here that I haven’t previously considered. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Christa. Praying it blessed you.
Sometimes I also forget that God is in control but just this Saturday, I surrendered all to him in prayer.
Praise the Lord Peachy! Praying He gives you a supportive group of godly women to help you walk in that. It’s so hard to live it everyday surrounded by the world.
Amazing Post.It was so great to reading your Post.
So glad Miranda. Praying over you and your site today.
I’ve been reading in Job lately and it has served to remind me of how very much God is in control. The enemy had to ask permission to even come near Job, and then when God gave him limited power to afflict Job, God did so for a higher, greater purpose! What would we do without Job’s example of integrity and faith in God under the most intense of losses and suffering? I’m so very glad God allowed those temptations and trials in Job’s life, because I really, really need to follow his example in my own life! Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Tiffany! Very encouraging post!
So true. As I pray through this series God has been redirecting me to ask a different question. Initially, my question was, “Why are these things so hard?” This leads to a feeling that life is not fair. Now I am asking, “Why doesn’t God give us what we deserve? Death. Hell. Judgment. Which leads to feeling thankful for even the hardest situations.