Remembering that God is in Control

Do you ever feel like life is out of control? As if you cannot get a grip on things? This morning’s message is applicable to each of us because I believe we have all had moments when it seems as though life is out of control.

Read Psalm 31:9-15

Before we look at the main two verses I want to look at this morning, we need to understand why it is that David would feel out of control.

David asks for the Lord’s grace due to his distress. There is a sense of his being overwhelmed and without any ability to do anything in a moment when he might have been surrounded.

The bible often utilizes the eye as the doorway to the soul so for David to state that his eye was wasted in grief is to understand that the grief he was feeling caused serious harm to his soul in these moments.

Verse 10 makes reference to sorrow and sighing. Verse 11 looks at the adversaries that are the main cause of this difficult season in life. Because of them, David says his neighbors now look on him as a disgrace.

We can understand the headspace that David is in. He feels as though he is forgotten as one who is dead in verse 12. And in verse 13, we have the image of all those around David whispering of his destruction as they surround him.

Now, I want to discount the anxiety and difficulties that any person here has faced but I would venture to say that none of us have ever faced something to this extent.

And yet, David remembered that God is in control. So, what can we learn about God’s control from this Psalm of David? First,

Because God is in control, we can trust Him

We can understand that David believed that God was in control because of one statement: I trust in you, O Lord. This was not just a singular situation of trust. When we trust in God we trust in Him in all situations. While not exhaustive, here are two areas of life that we are able to trust the Lord

Trust in the Lord’s provision. Matthew 6:26

Matthew 6:26 ESV

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Trust in the Lord’s ability to deliver. Daniel 3:16-18

Daniel 3:16–18 ESV

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

What does that trust accomplish?

First, we are reminded in Psalm 20:7 that our priorities are refocused.

Psalm 20:7 ESV

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Rather than believing in the horses and chariots that bring victory in war, we remember that it is God who provides those things. We are recentered and think about the main thing being the main thing!

Second, a trust in the Lord sets His people apart from the world. 2 Kings 18:5.

2 Kings 18:5 ESV

He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.

It was recognized of Hoshea that he was special. It was his trust in the Lord that set him apart from the rest of the kings and would therefore be a separation from the rest of the world!

When things seem out of control, ask yourself, “In whom have I placed my trust?”

Trusting in the Lord comes from a specific confession. Next,

Because God is in control, we confess that we belong to Him

The confession “you are my God” is vital and must come before we trust in the Lord. Though, placing all of our trust in Him is an essential part of belief in the Lord. It says, “I know that He is the king of the universe and can be trusted”

David confesses that the God of Israel is His but this is also a statement of belonging to the Lord. It is too easy to think that we belong to ourselves which leads to a trust in ourselves rather than trusting in the one who is in full control.

If you belong to the Lord, you ought to remind yourself that you belong to the Lord. When we are talking to a person who feels as though they do not have a grasp on their own life, ask them who they belong to. Just that simple reminder and the confession that the Lord is their God is sufficient enough to relieve our anxieties when it seems as though the world is crashing in around us.

Not only do we confess these things,

Because God is in control, we put our time in His hands

The word for time certainly points to how we steward our time. However, beyond that, I want to remind us today that life comes at us in waves or different seasons. The Hebrew word for time here is translated in different places as seasons. Brothers and sisters, when you face difficulty, remember that life comes at us in seasons. If things are hard and you can feel the walls closing in around you, remember that things will not always be this way.

I also want to point out that with time comes change. We are afraid of change because it goes against where we are comfortable. But because God is in control and our time is in His hands, we must keep in mind that the changes around us are no mystery to Him. The changes that we see did not surprise Him.

It is a difficult thing to turn things over to the Lord. When we give our lives to Him in the faith that brings salvation, we are also giving Him our times, our moments, and trustin in His sovereignty.

Finally,

Because God is in control, we call on Him to rescue us from persecution

The persecution that David was facing was what brought on the previous verses we read this morning. Yet, David calls out to the only One who was able to do anything about His circumstances.

This morning, it might not be persecution that grieves your spirit. It might be financial troubles. It might be difficulty with your job. Whatever the case, can I remind you that God is in control. You can cry out to Him and He is able, as we were reminded in Daniel 3, that He is able to deliver you.

The God who we serve is in control. May the Lord bring this to your mind and encourage you today!