Assurance of Control
by Jeanne Rogers
Week of November 28, 2004
"Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.
After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding."
(Job 37:2-5)
The days prior to my mother’s surgery were hectic. The day after, I grabbed my Bible and my journal, hoping for some much-needed time with the Lord at some point in the day. As I stuffed them into my tote bag, I heard Him say, “Read Psalm 11.”
His words stirred my curiosity as I drove to the hospital. Perhaps this Psalm is a word for our nation. Morality issues in America, the soldiers in Iraq and concern for President Bush dominated my thoughts and prayers and were fueled by talk radio any time I was in the car.
My mother needed rest, so I went for a hair cut, confident that I could read the Psalm at the salon. In route, my favorite radio host gave a news alert that U.S. intelligence had received a new video from a terrorist. “They are trying to identify the Muslim messenger who speaks English like a second language. His threats are more evil and frightening than any I have heard before,” he said, “His description of the torture they plan gave me cold chills.”
As I prayed against the real spiritual enemy behind the terrorist threat, I heard the Lord’s voice again. “Psalm 11.” After alerting friends in the salon about the video, I got into the Scripture. In the first few verses, I recognized that God had assured me of His control ahead of the terrorist threat.
“I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly to the mountains for safety! The wicked are stringing their bows and setting their arrows in the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those who do right. The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:1-3, NLT)
David acknowledged the threat of his enemies but questioned his fearful advisors. His situation resembled the scare tactics we were facing from terrorists. David’s answer revealed his lack of fear and his reliance on the Lord’s power.
I read David’s words to my friends. “Listen to this! ‘But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth.’”
My hair stylist paused with scissors in midair saying, “I have chills all over!” As I read on, our faith in a sovereign, all-powerful God smothered any fear we had earlier. The rest of the Psalm explained how God tests the righteous and the wicked and rains down blazing coals on those who love violence.
I wanted to see more so I read Scripture references at home. I concluded that I have no guarantee that I will be sheltered from difficult circumstances. After all, committed Christians died in the September 11 attacks in 2001. LIFE TODAY aired testimonies of believers who suffered great physical, emotional and spiritual trials.
Brian and Mel Birdwell were two guests who stood out in my memory. Brian was an Army lieutenant colonel, and he was burned over sixty percent of his body when terrorists crashed American Flight 77 into his area of the Pentagon. Mel watched the live news broadcasts in horror as she realized Brian’s office was near the jet-fueled fireball she saw on the screen.
Their book, Refined by Fire describes their journey. Brian says his miraculous survival happened because a sovereign God had a specific plan for his life, yet he spent three months in the burn unit with over thirty excruciating surgeries and torturous physical therapy.
“He may not take away the pain,” Brian said, “But He gives the strength, comfort, peace, and endurance to get to the other side, and to be closer to God in the process. We all face personal fires—those life-changing, traumatic times when the course of our lives are altered. Those are the times when we learn to rely on God—or when we decide to get angry with Him and push Him away.”
Mel posted Scriptures around Brian’s room and read the word to him daily. There were many times she heard God speak to her in the recesses of her mind and heart. “I have this under control; just follow the path I lay out for you.”
Psalm 11 ministered the same truth to me. God has the situation under control, and His power is not diminished by some evil turn of events. Nothing happens without His knowledge or permission. We must take David’s words to heart and resist fear because God is greater than anything our enemies can bring against us.
This Week
Read Psalm 11 and let God show you that He is in control.
Prayer
"Lord, thank you for the assurance that you are in your Holy Temple and you rule from Heaven."
