Is God In Control?

I came across some interesting prayers last week – they were all prayers of children. Here is one from Debbie – age 7: Dear God: Please send a new baby for Mommy. The baby you sent last week cries too much. From Angela, age 8: Dear God, this is my prayer. Could you please give my brother some brains? So far he doesn’t have any. From Lois, age 9: Dear God: Please help me in school. I need help in spelling, adding, subtracting, science, reading, history, geography and writing. I don’t need help in anything else. Most of us delight in the prayers of children. They are not afraid to say what is on their mind; to God and to most people. They are very uninhibited when it comes to asking anything of God. Prayers of children are honest and sincere acknowledgements of how great God is. Unfortunately as adults our prayers become more about us.

Much of life seems to be chaotic and out of control.

Illness, job problems, financial burdens, death, and the overall state of our world can cause us to question God and His sovereignty.

Why is it we question God in seasons of hardships and problems? What can we do to maintain a proper perspective in the midst of trials?

Psalm 146 ESV

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

Have you noticed how often that most of our prayers are “asking” prayers? While it is true that we are encouraged to ask of God, there is more to prayer than just asking for things. If you look at the Book of Psalms, many of these prayers and hymns are songs of praise. The last five psalms are often referred to as the hallelujah psalms. The first words of the last psalm, Psalm 150, is “Praise the Lord.” The first words of Psalm 149 are “Praise the Lord.” The first words of Psalm 148 are “Praise the Lord.” The first words of Psalm 147 are “Praise the Lord.” The first words of Psalm 146 are “Praise the Lord.” Well – you get the point. The last five psalms may constitute the final doxology of praise. We don’t spend enough time praising God – praising God is not like thanking God. When you thank God, it is a prayer of thanking God for the specific things he has done. Giving praise to God is more of adoration for what makes God who He is.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The psalmist committed to praise the Lord everyday of his life. (Verses 1-2)

What the psalmist preached, he practiced. He would not dare call upon us to praise the Lord without himself having first done so. He resolves while I live will I praise the Lord.

Should this psalm have been written by David, this warning comes from a prince himself. Even the best of people are not adequate help in times of hardships. (Verses 3 & 4)

Israel was frequently guilty of trusting those nations around her instead of trusting God.

The God of Jacob is a favorite expression of Israel because of God’s provisions for Jacob and how God walked him through difficult seasons. (Verses 5 & 6)

The God of Jacob is a favorite expression of the latter psalms. This is a reminder of the history of God and his people in the Old Testament. We know what God did for Jacob – and we know what God has done for his people through the centuries. The psalmist instructed the congregation to put their trust in the One who is infinitely more powerful than mortal man. In other words, God has a track record in which you can find hope.

The psalmist says that God is the source of our salvation. (Verses 7-9)

When the psalmist says that God opens the eyes of the blind, he means that literally and figuratively. God opens physically blinded eyes, and He opens spiritually blinded eyes. On numerous occasions in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus both gave sight to the physically blind and discernment to the spiritually blind.

The psalmist concludes praising God because He is in control and His reign is eternal. (Verse 10)

TODAY’S KEY TRUTH

PRAISING God is about recognizing that God is in CONTROL.

CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE

Through the Old Testament we are reminded to show our appreciation to God.

Life as we know it now does not go on forever. It is our moral duty to praise God while we have life.

There is a difference between thanking God and praising God:

Thanking God is about being grateful for what God has done for us.

Praising God is about recognizing who God truly is.

We praise God because He is wonderful and loving.

One of the main reasons God is wonderful and loving is because we can trust Him. “In God we Trust” is what it says so on the money we carry in our wallets. But we don’t trust God. We’d rather trust the money those words are printed upon. But money can’t save us. Just ask someone who has become unemployed and who finds the money disappearing from savings accounts. We like to trust technology. All the gadgets we have are nice, but they are not dependable. Just ask someone whose computer has crashed. We like to trust power and military might. But remember that our nation was formed by revolutionaries who fought what was at that time the greatest military might in the world. God is worthy of praise because is trustworthy.

We praise God because He is eternal and sovereign.

His plan will not die and go to the grave.

We praise God because He is in control.

LIFE APPLICATION

Praise God in the days of BEAUTY.

When that child or grandchild is born…praise God. When that promotion comes through…praise God.

Praise God in the days of DESPAIR.

When you are walking behind the casket …praise God for the days He blessed you by this person. When you think you have nothing left … praise God because you have Him and He is what you need. When that diagnosis is given … praise God because He will be there in the operating room or treatment center.

Praise God because He is in CONTROL.

Is God in control? Amen. That is why our prayers and praise need to be God centered. It is okay to ask God for the things we need but we must never forget to simply praise God.