Think about it. This year we have faced:
A pandemic. An election year. Mental health issues. Racial injustice. Cancelled plans. (Again.) Isolation. So much unknown.
This world feels overwhelming and crazy to say the least. And it would be really easy to drown in our feelings, instead of resting in the fact of who God is and what He is capable of doing. It’s normal to be drawn into the waves of feeling overwhelmed, helpless, and slowly submerge ourselves with “what if’s.” But what if we didn’t have to stay there?
Instead of getting overwhelmed by our circumstances, what if we examined what was overwhelming us in order to actively speak truth over our situation? How could that change the way we live and the way we teach our girls to trust and rest in the Lord?
Because we know the truth. We know that God knows what we need and when we need it. We know that God will never leave or forsake us. We know God is always right on time. We know we serve the Author of creation. We know we serve the Lord who knew all of this would happen even before we took our first breath. We know we can put our trust in Jesus.
But let’s take the following two truths about God’s sovereignty beyond what we know in our head. Let’s allow it to transform our hearts in order that it changes the way we live. And may we teach these truths to our girls and truly present the fact (with our lives) that God is completely in control.
1. GOD IS VERIFIABLE
God is verifiable. What do I mean by that? We are obsessed with people with the little blue check next to their name. Whether it is on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. We know that the blue check means that the person has content that they mastered. We all follow accounts that we either relate to, that encourages us, or serves as inspiration. You may love following home makeover accounts and want to see the way they renovated their kitchen or that dining room table. Or you may love following beauty accounts and love the way a girl did her curls or makeup and want to watch the exact way they were able to do it. Then, we replicate it. I would call this first step of the blue check: tried and true.
Well, God is tried and true.
If you want to check out God’s history, He has a lot of awesome content in the Bible. He has stories, letters, songs, etc. all meant for us to dive deeply into. We are able to read this giant love letter that the Lord has given us to learn from, we can learn from the mistakes people made in the Bible, and we can learn wisdom for our lives throughout the pages of Scripture can provide wisdom for our own life. We can open up the Bible’s pages and they can read us right back. We can go to God with everything and His Word will never return back void.
There is a little something I do, when I see a Scripture that reads me. When I read a Scripture that is a gut punch, a forehead kiss, or a warm hug. I mark it with the date and a heart. I mark it like this because I can remember the moment I realized that God was true. When I read it in the future, I can tell myself that if God did it back then, He is still working in my life right now.
So when life tries to pull me down, I open my Bible and I flip past all the hearts of all the times God was there for me. I flip past all the hearts that remind me that I’m never alone. I flip past all the hearts that show me God was always with me, He was always working behind the scenes, and He will do it again. God is tried and true.
2. GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS
The blue verification check mark serves a dual purpose. The dual purpose is to prove that this person is who they say they are. Some accounts try to pretend to be like the main account and the blue check serves the purpose of saying this account or this person is “the real deal.” They are who they say they are.
Well, let me tell you this. God is who He says He is. God is the Great I AM. I used to love reading that God is the Great I Am, because I would think of all the things I needed and knew God was that. I knew if I needed love, that God is love. I knew that if I prayed for healing, God is the great physician. I knew that if I begged God for protection, that the Lord is my protector and my stronghold. I knew that if I prayed for God to move, that He is able to show up and show out. How did I know this? God has proven Himself over and over again in my life and in the Bible.
If you want proof of the Lord’s deliverance: Let’s look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The king through them into a blazing furnace alive, and they were untouched. Not even the smell of smoke was upon them (Dan. 3).
If you want verification of God’s ability to provide: Let’s turn to how He fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. God is able to provide and to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever ask, think, or imagine (Matt. 14:13-21).
If you want to make sure God is able to work everything out for your good: Let’s go to Joseph and read about his story in Genesis. His brothers sold him out to slavery. Then, he was falsely accused and placed in prison. All of the sudden, the Lord used him to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and he was elevated as a high ranking official in Egypt. During a famine, he was put in charge of produce and supplies. He declared when his brothers came to him that “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20).”
This can go on and on and on. Why? God is who He says He is! God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever ask or think. God is the Great I AM. God is everything you need. God is verifiable. God is tried and true.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” -2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Friends, we are not walking through this world aimlessly. We are not wandering and trying to figure it all out as we go. We are trusting in the Playmaker. We are trusting in the Author of creation. We are trusting in God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and fully in control. We are trusting in the only One who is worthy of our trust and praise in the first place. We put our faith in God because He is the only One who can work all of this out for the good for those who love Him. God is the only One who can deliver us. God is the only one who can sustain us. God is the only One we can put our hope in who will never disappoint us.
Right now, I want us to take our thoughts captive. I want us to focus on everything that is worrying us, causing us to feel out of control, or tired, or angry, or exhausted, or any other thought or feeling that is not rooted in the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. Then, I want us to give it back to God. One by one. Thought after thought. Worry after worry. Surrender it to God who is all knowing, all powerful, and fully in control. Surrender it all to God who is sovereign.
I don’t know what will happen after you read this, tomorrow, or in the future. I do know without a shadow of a doubt that God is fully in control. God cares about each of us so very much. Even when we cannot see, God is working. One more time.
God is all powerful. God is all knowing. God is fully in control. God is tried and true. God is who He says He is. God is verifiable. God is sovereign.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Jillian Deaton has a passion for showing people the love of Christ through speaking, writing, and everyday life. She is the wife to second lieutenant Jaxson Deaton. Jillian is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University. She is the author of Powerfully Weak, This is Why, The Four Seasons of Hope, as well as the co-author of A Bigger Purpose. She is passionate about sharing God’s Word with students and women of all ages! She believes no matter who you are or where you’ve been the Word of God is relevant to your life as you strive to live with authentic faith in Christ. Connect with Jillian: Instagram