Shadow of the Almighty

"'But have you not heard?

I decided this long ago.

Long ago I planned it,

 and now I am making it happen.

I planned for you 

to crush fortified cities into heaps of rubble.'"

Isaiah 37:26 NLT

They are mocking God's righteous ones, those bought by the blood of the lamb.  They confidently predict the victory of their wicked agenda, citing examples of recent progress made.  I can't deny the power they seem to have to accomplish their evil plans.  What's going on?  How do I respond?  Do I just give in and call it quits?  

No!  God has a message for us in this age of wickedness.

God's Sovereign Plan.  Nothing happens outside of His will.  While everything that happens in this world is not good, God is completely and wholly good and righteous and He is at the helm of all that exists.  Since all of creation is under His dominion, even the Evil One himself, then I can rest in His sovereignty.  Either He ordained for the success of darkness I now see in order for Him to bring about His plan of redemption and to knock people to their knees where many will submit their hearts to Him, or He is allowing it for His own purposes.  Either way, it went through His hands.  He is not standing by wringing His hands and wondering, How could things have become so bad?  Oh, dear!  What will I do!?  No, God is firmly enthroned on high and no agenda can go forth apart from His divine permission (Romans 9:15-18, Job 1:12).

With such knowledge firmly implanted in my heart and mind, I can go forth with the assurance that God has a plan in the midst of the mess.  The success of the gay agenda, for instance, is not an accident but part of a greater purpose that will bring about good for God's people and His glory.  I must look for the ways He is at work through it and trust Him, believing that He knows what He is doing.  Similarly, the rise of ISIS can be a scary thing as I consider all who are at the mercy of such ruthless men.  I must remember, however, that they only have as much power as God has allowed them to have and they will never be given the authority to take away the hope in Christ His children have for eternity with Him (Psalm 27:1).

God the Almighty rules supreme and nothing happens outside of His sovereign plan.

Don't Listen.  I have to admit that I love reading the weather forecast.  I enjoy looking ahead to what the "experts" think will happen in the days to come.  While I hardly miss a day, I take it with a grain of salt, knowing that God is in control and He can do whatever He wants, even with the weather.  Can anyone predict God's plan? 

It's the same with anything else.  Since God is firmly seated on the throne, ruling over all there is, I don't have to pay attention to the proud proclamations and forecasts of those whose agenda is contrary to godly values, that which is downright dark and evil. So when political heavies predict their continued success in promoting their destructive agenda or terrorists boldly proclaim their plan to march forward and conquer the earth, I can remember they will only get so far as God allows.  I don't have to listen to what they say, or at least filter it through the lens of God's sovereignty.

Since God the Almighty rules supreme, I don't have to listen to any proud proclamations meant to strike fear into my heart.

Depend on the God of Heaven's Armies.  It is His desire that all come to know Him as Lord and Savior through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9).  Some of us, however, are more stubborn and set in our selfish ways than others.  It is then that God must bring out the big guns, so to speak, to humble us to the point where we come to the end of ourselves and see our need for Him.  Until then, we'll most likely rely on our own resources and pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, thinking we're strong enough to carry on alone.

There is a better way.  I can willingly submit myself to the God who is able to fight my battles for me in the way that brings about the most glory for Himself.  When I sit back and entrust Him with His rightful job of Commander in Chief, crying out to Him to break the strongholds of evil entrenched in this dark world, I will have the honor of seeing Him vanquish the enemy.  He has a plan to make His name known to all the earth, and sometimes this plan takes drastic measures in order to bring it to fulfillment.  There is no better place to be than in the camp of such military might as this!

I choose to depend upon the Almighty One with all the power to vanquish the enemies of His people with a mighty army of multitudes.

It is aggravating to see the arrogant posturing and to hear the confident proclamations of those promoting an evil and immoral agenda.  While I must stand firm against such wickedness, it is not with the desperation of those on the losing side.  Instead, I can keep in mind that nothing happens outside of God's sovereign plan, giving me the perspective I need to take their progress with a grain of salt knowing that God is the One truly in control.  I can depend upon Him to fight the battle in the way that will make His name famous through all the earth.  When I keep in mind that everything that happens is His doing, either by will or permission, then I can rest easy in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1)!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stand firm against evil, knowing the One who has my back is beyond compare.

When do I sink into despair at the plight of this world, forgetting that God has a plan to redeem His creation?

How am I more focused on what Evil is doing than on what God is accomplishing?