Pulpit Today

It is no surprise that the Old Testament prophets, who were called to draw near God and stand in His counsel, disclosed God’s interacting presence upon mankind (Jeremiah 23).  These messengers never envisioned an absentee God but understood His irrepressible action upon earthly affairs.  Daniel said that God “changes times and seasons” (2:21); and that “He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven” (4:35).  No prophet disagreed with Moses when he announced that God sends deluge and drought, fortune and famine, prosperity and calamity.  God enthrones kings, determines national boundaries, and guides the course of nature.  The tiniest molecule does not move without permission from God’s providential mastery.

Yet there is more to God’s sovereign imposition upon creation.  How does He exercise His power?  The answer is found in Matthew 11:26 when Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father.”  The Lord Jesus Christ is the executor of God’s activity and there is no way this statement can be minimized.  Jesus said that Almighty God transferred the governance of the universe to Him!  This is one of the most intriguing assertions Christ proclaimed and it has not echoed without objection.  Some critics protest Matthew’s penmanship of this statement and mark these words as spurious.  But if the critics deny Christ’s testimony here they must deliberate His testimony in Matthew 28:18 when He said, “All power in heaven and in earth was given unto me.”  Make no mistake, Jesus did not misspeak, He controls the affairs of the universe.  The executor of God’s actions is the Son of God, and who else would you want in charge?  Christ is filled with mercy and grace!  He pardons the guilty, comforts the grieving, encourages the lowly, and never abandons the betrayed.  When we disappoint Him, He “does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him” (2 Samuel 14:14).  Jesus decides your future.  He “assigns your portion and cup” (Psalm 16:5).  He is the benevolent King, sympathetic to our weaknesses, yet sovereign to act.  And “all things have been handed over to Him by is Father.”

Do we always understand the providential mastery that Christ exercises over creation and our lives?  No!  The prophet has said, “His ways are past finding out”—inscrutable (Romans 11:33).  Nobody can explain why life unfolds as it does.  Life offers as much mystery as it does clarity.  It’s often said that “Hindsight is 20/20.”  Not so!  Reflect on your past for a moment.  As you cast an investigative gaze backward you realize much remains perplexing and inexplicable.  Years ago a “friend” betrayed you or a loved one died prematurely, yet today the mystery remains unsolved.  No, hindsight is not 20/20, some things never make sense!  However, the Bible does make some things unambiguously clear.  Scripture says that Christ, our Sovereign, is entirely good and infinitely wise.  His goodness and wisdom always orchestrate life’s events for your wellbeing.  So while you may not unravel life’s dilemmas, you can know Christ will never disappoint you.