God Rules Everything
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
Four days after our son’s first MRI, we sat in an exam room, waiting to meet the neurosurgeon who would perform his brain surgery. As the clock ticked away, my mind ticked with it. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to me–OH NO, HIS HAIR!
Some boys are fine with the just-got-out-of-bed look for their hair, but our youngest son has never been like that. His siblings may have teased him during his teen years about his hair products, but they had to admit that his hair always looked awesome. Picturing our precious twenty-two-year-old with a shaved head, I felt yet another gut-punch of loss.
I did what I always do when I feel sad and completely powerless: I began to pray. In the next few days, some words from the first Heidelberg Catechism question came back to me:
“He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father
not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation.”
These words refer to God’s gracious sovereignty. Unfortunately, many detractors have made a mockery of the biblical concept of God’s sovereignty. Some view God as a dark warlord ruling over his people with cruel force; others portray him as a crazy-faced puppeteer jerking his little minions around with wild glee.
As Jesus explained to his disciples, God’s sovereignty is reason to rejoice and praise: the Lord watches over us as a kind Father who cares compassionately for his children (Matthew 10). The Lord preserves and protects those in His care, and His will is for our good and for His glory.
It brought me great comfort to know that “not a hair would fall” from my son’s head without the Lord willing it. In the sometimes-painful or humiliating experience of the waiting room, the Lord is changing us into people who more fully resemble Him in love and compassion. Take comfort, friend, in the assurance that God rules everything.
Prayer
Father God, we thank you for faithfully preserving us and so carefully watching over us. Please comfort us as we wait in the hope that this hard story is written by Your loving hand. Help us to see You reigning as King over our lives; draw us to serve You more faithfully. In Jesus’ ruling name, we pray. Amen.
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LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Read Psalm 11:4; Psalm 93:5; Psalm 97; Psalm 99.
Listen to “O Worship the King” by Chris Tomlin at https://youtu.be/We9aR22C9BI.
For Reflection: How can you see God authoring this hard story for His glory and your good?
©2019 Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage. Please do not reprint without permission from the author.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
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