May  2006

God Is In Control

"Be still and know that I am God" Psalms 46:10
 

Lately, I had the opportunity to visit my family back in India. To get there, I had to fly for over 17 hours. But through all those 17 hours, I jus didn't sit up all thru the flight wondering if I'd reach safely. I didn't have the fear that my plane would go in a wrong direction or it would fall off the height in which it should fly, because I knew that something or someone is controlling the flight. Even when we are on land, when we see a plane flying up in the sky, we are not able to see the one who's flying that plane, but we all believe that there is a pilot for that plane and he steers the plane in the way it should go.

Many a time, we see life as just a human experience of a mixture of comforts and struggles, joys and sorrows etc. But many a time we miss to recognize the fact that there's someone who controls our lives. The Bible says that even before we were formed in our mother's womb God knew us. He has a hand in our lives ever since we were formed.

There's a guy by name Joseph in the bible. Joseph was a very nice son to his parents, a very spiritual person. Though loved and much cared for, Joseph had to go thru some tough times in his life. If I should categorize the different phases of Joseph's life, I would rather enlist them as below

1. Papa's (dad's) house - He was a happy little lad in his dad's house. In the bible we read that he was much loved by his dad and he was given special colorful clothes to wear. The love and care which he was showered while in his dad's house proved that God cared for Joseph even as he was a little boy.

2. Pit - As he grew up with this special love from his dad, his brother's got mad at him and threw him in a pit. But God was in control of Joseph and he was safe in the pit, till his brothers could decide on selling him to the Egyptians.

3. Potiphar's House - When sold to the Egyptian, Joseph landed in Potiphar's House. As he grew up to be a handsome man, Potiphar's wife enticed him to sin. But Joseph refused to fall a prey to her follies. This proved again that God was in control of Joseph's emotions and so he did not sin.

4. Prison - When Joseph refused to Potiphar's wife's call, she gave false complaints about him to her husband and Joseph ended up in the prison. The bible says that even in the prison God was with Joseph. God gave Joseph the gift of revealing dreams and Joseph explained the dreams of the baker and the cupbearer in the prison.

5. Pharaoh's palace - Finally Joseph's fame reached Pharaoh and God gave Joseph an opportunity to reveal Pharaoh's dream too. Pharaoh took Joseph to be the ruler of his land and the bible says that God was with Joseph even while he worked for Pharaoh.

Be it a lowly pit or a palace, God was with Joseph. Through all those tough times, Joseph did not deny God or grumble or ask God "God, why did you do this to me?". Joseph knew that the God who created him was in control.

My friend, at times when you feel some jolt or hardship in life do you ever wonder who's there for you to help? Or when you are really joyful sometimes have you ever recognized the giver of such joy and happiness?

Let me remind you of this, my friend. In every walk of your life, be it joy or sorrow or a life as in a pit or palace, God is in control of your life. Sometimes when trials come our way, let's remind ourselves of the verse in the bible (from Psalms 46) "Be still and know that I am God". Let's not underestimate God by looking at our circumstances because He created everything in this world and He knows what you and I need in this life. Sometimes if things don't happen the way you expect them to happen, just remember that Jesus is in control of your life.

Next time you see a plane flying in the sky, think about the fact that God is in control of your life. Like how even though you don't see the pilot but believe in his existence in that plane to control it, even though we don't see God, we got to acknowledge that He is indeed in control.

Cheer up my friend, because Jesus is indeed in control of our lives !!!

Have a blessed day !!!

Your friend,
Eshcol