Rest in God's Control

Monday - June 7th

Scripture to Read Today: Daniel 2:1-23

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Praise be to the name of God forever and ever;

wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons;

he deposes kings and raises up others.

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

Daniel 2:20-21

For years I spent a lot of time every day keeping up with the politics of our world, and more specifically, the United States. I was not only a news junky but a political junky. I was fascinated by each twist and turn of leaders here and around the world. Politics captured my attention. One day I realized it was too much. I went on a news diet - or a fast, really. It was the best thing I could have done.

With cable news running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and online web pages updating their information almost every minute, it's easy to get sucked into that world. Don't get me wrong. Understanding our world is incredibly important. Knowing the challenges we face as followers of Christ in a culture that becomes more antagonistic toward faith and values is essential. We should not be those in the world who bury our heads in the sand. We need to be up-to-speed with where our world is, what its challenges are, and how best to live and love like Jesus in our modern culture. In our great American democracy, we must be engaged as voters.

BUT (and this is a big BUT) we do not control the events of our nation or our world - even with our votes. God's hand works in our lives and all of human history. He raises national leaders and takes them down. All of world history exists as His story - not ours. When folks send me articles or weblinks that point to panic because of movement toward a one-world government or the possibility that end times events unfold before our eye, I wonder why God's children panic. God is in charge. He has laid out for us that He Himself will shape the events that bring human history (as we know it) to an end.

Much of the book of Daniel reminds us that human kings and governments fail. Left to our own devices, apart from God, we wound others, conquer, and destroy. The book of Daniel also gives us hope through God's promises that He knows and has determined the movements of empires. He will eventually bring all nations under His judgment. Even Daniel chapter two demonstrates that God can confound the wise and give great wisdom to His children. This chapter reminds us that He is ultimately in control.

Reread Daniel 2:20-21 above. Rest in the promise that God sovereignly shapes the course of human history - including your life. Rest in Him. Hold tightly to His promises!

Even when things look and feel completely out of control, God is still sovereign. Rest in His control!