“But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation.”
- Lamentations 5:19
What a sobering and comforting verse. God reigns. God is in control. He is working all things out for the world’s good, which though we cannot comprehend what that means from situation to situation, God is in control.
How can one believe this so easily? I mean, California is on fire, racial tension is still rampant, a pandemic is besieging the entire world, there are hurricanes, floods, and other disastrous storms running across the country, and even tonight, as this is being written, supreme court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed away. The result will be a deep and divisive political battle, as if this election year and 2020 was not enough.
By many accounts, this year is full of awful events and scenarios. Like it was written by someone locked in a room and will not be released until they write the slowest destruction of the world. Yet, a Christian needs to be bold enough to say that God is sovereign over 2020 and will work all of it for His good purposes.
In Covid-19, God is working good things out for His divine purposes.
In the West Coast fires, God is working good things out for His divine purposes.
In the political divide of this nation, God is working good things out for His divine purposes.
I my personal problems and anxieties, God is working good things out for His divine purposes. Yes, He is.
Israel:
I can say this, those not personally impacted by some of the above scenarios, because of who I believe God is and what I believe God is doing in this world. God has proven this through His Word and throughout history.
The Israelites believe they were God’s chosen nation, to be a blessing to the world. This meant God was on their side. Sadly, Israel would go on to do some awful things to their neighboring nations. The oppressed, they attacked, they neglected and hated. But even then, God reigns.
Israel would also be oppressed. In fact, Lamentations occurs during and after Jerusalem is ransacked and many Israelites are taken captive to Babylon. These people are hopeless, they believe this is the end of the nation. The end of being God’s chosen nation, the end of being a blessing to the world. And yet, Jeremiah the prophets remind his listeners and readers, that God’s reign over Israel and the world is forever, from generation to generation.
Even though their own generation was being taken captive, God reigned and it working to fulfill His plans. And when the great grandchildren grow up in captivity, God is still reigning and working to fulfill His plans. That is not saying God is slow or lazy, but that His plans are so great they cannot be achieved in a single generation, no, they need to be achieved through every generation. God is faithful to every generation and reigns over every generation.
God Reign’s Today:
It does not matter who sits in the oval office, nor who replaces the recently opened justice seat. Fires may rage on, disease may spread, and the enemy of humanity will try to do whatever it can to distract, destroy, and divide humanity from seeking after God. But the enemy will, is, and has failed. Nothing will topple over God’s ruling of which He rules with true goodness, true justice, and true grace.
His reign lives on. Though it may be that we live in a dimly lit room right now, soon, or one day later it will be overwhelmingly lit. The evidence will be clear that God’s reigns, and always has.
God restored Israel from their captivity in Babylon. God will bring healing and resolve to the greatest health mysteries. God will extinguish the flames in California. God will reconcile the deepest personal and societal divides in this nation. God will bring comfort and community, to anyone’s anxiety and loneliness.
God is forever sovereign, ruling greatly and justly with all goodness.
Final Blessing:
I know, it may seem super abstract, like how can God be reigning and how can I live in knowledge of that. It does not stop the problems from persisting. No, but there is hope and comfort in knowing that right now is temporary, but God’s reign is eternal and present. He is working all things for the good of His purposes.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heart beat of your journey.
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