I was watching my favorite John Piper sermon (that I’ve already talked about here) and something he was talking about hit me—hopefully I don’t conveniently forget this every time it would be useful to remember.
He was discussing the supremacy of Christ displayed in His providence. That is, Christ’s power to determine and bring about everything that happens in perfect accordance with His will—His power to do what He wants, when He wants, with whomever He wants, however He wants, without fail.
He was saying that not even one bird can fall to the ground apart from the will of Jesus Christ. Not one bird in all the world has ever fallen to the ground apart from the explicit determination of God for that to occur. Not one hair on any head in the whole world has turned white apart from the explicit design and will of God. Not one lightning strike has ever fallen outside of His will.
Why do we worry, then? We have a God who controls EVERYTHING! Why does bad news terrify us? Why do we run in fear from challenges or the impossible? Nothing can defeat our God. Nothing can get in the way of His will. And, for those who are in Christ, it is said that He is for us, not against us. It is for this reason that we unquestionably conquer all things through Christ! He doesn’t lose, and nothing that comes are way is an accident. Everything that has happened in the past–every single act of good or evil–and everything that will happen in the future is all part of one glorious plan of salvation for the people of God and for His ultimate glory.
We have nothing to fear. We have nothing to worry about. Our God already determined the moment we die, get sick, get married, buy a puppy, graduate college, have a child with down syndrome, speak the words that would save a friend, and on and on. He has determined everything for its own purpose, and He promises to work it all out for our good.
I’m not saying I necessarily like all the things that have happened to me. A lot of those things have been pretty unpleasant. I don’t like the twists and turns of life that come out of nowhere and disrupt everything that seems to be so perfect. But, whether I like it or not, I worship a God who is in control. Thankfully I can rest in the fact that His control is always exercised to bring Himself glory and to make me more like Jesus. So, pain or pleasure, all of it is willed by God for a greater purpose. Nothing is insignificant. Nothing doesn’t matter. Nothing is an accident.
As Spurgeon said:
“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes; that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens; that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as surely as the stars in their courses; that the creeping of an insect over a rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence; and the fall of leaves from the poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling avalanche. He who believes in God must believe this truth. There is no standing point between this and Atheism. There is no halfway between an Almighty God, who works all things according to the good pleasure of his will, and no God at all!”
Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.
This albeit true can be much easier said than done. Yes there are glimpses when I behold this truth and it gives me great peace. Unfortunately, it is more often that my fear of my wife not coming to a saving grace or my children that takes control of my thoughts. I know we all have the pebble in our shoe that causes our own pain and we need to take hold of this truth, but it can easily escape our grasp. Thank you for the reminder.
That’s certainly the truth! But, by God’s grace, we’ll realize again and again that to worry adds nothing to our lives. And, concerning salvation God makes it clear that His sheep will hear His voice. He won’t let one of them go and He won’t abandon one to the grave. His grace raises us from death into life–it’s all a gift. And the most awesome thing is that He has placed you in the lives of your wife, kids, family, friends, etc., for a reason. His grace overflows from the hearts that are submitted to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit works through us to bring new life to others around us. Take heart, brother! Our God is a mighty God who does as He pleases with all the people of the Earth. No one can hold back His hand. Nothing can stop Him from accomplishing His purposes. We can have confidence in Him. And His love and grace abounds. =)
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This is what I tried (less eloquently) to convey to my mom after my brother committed suicide this past December. My mom understandably had incredible feelings of guilt. She felt that she hadn’t gotten to my brother in time. That she hadn’t gotten him to church in time. That she was somehow the one that was supposed to save him. One frantic phone I received from her I tried to explain how we do not catch God by surprise. That it wasn’t her place to save him. I tried the best I could (which we all know it wasn’t my words but God’s ’cause this girl just isn’t that worldly.) to explain how she was trying to be God by thinking she somehow had a say in my brother’s salvation. What comforted me (after my hate filled letter to God) was that my brother taking his own life DID go through God’s hands first. Looking back over the last 6 months, ALL I can see is His hands guiding us. That once caused me great pain but now it is my strong hold. (I swear I’m not cyber stalking you I’ll quite with all these comments now!)
Krissy
That is so hard to go through. I can’t even imagine. But, it’s in times like that when God really makes us understand these deep truths.