Thursday, June 11, 2020

Out of Control

When things seem out of control in our lives, perhaps that can spur us on to invite God to be very real and submit ourselves to His control, recognizing that, according to Hebrews 2:
8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Suffering will come, certainly, but we know we have one who walks with us through our sufferings, so that we might be more wholeheartedly devoted to Him and that His presence may be manifested through us. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, and while we can become discouraged with the state of our world, we can recognize that He is continuing to work out His purposes, calling human beings to turn to Him and to submit to His lordship.

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In Ephesians 1, Paul is sharing what he is praying for, including...
(19) what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Do you sometimes feel that the world is spinning out of control?  We have gone through isolation to prevent the spread of a virus that continues to afflict thousands to a time of irritation and hopefully introspection.  Americans have gone through a gamut of emotions through a pandemic and protests, and there is an uneasiness among us.

Maybe God has us just where He wants us.

NBCNews.com reports on a "new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that was conducted May 28 to June 2, during the aftermath of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 100,000 and after millions of people have lost their jobs:"
According to the poll, 80 percent of registered voters say they feel that things are generally out of control in the country, versus 15 percent who believe that things are under control.
Regarding the death of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis, the survey found:
Fifty-nine percent of all voters — including 54 percent of whites, 65 percent of Latinos and 78 percent of African Americans — said they're more troubled by Floyd's death and the actions of police.
That's compared with 27 percent who said they're more concerned about the protests over Floyd's death, some of which have turned violent.
The survey also found that there is still concern, rightly so, over the Coronavirus, as well as its economic effects:
...a combined 63 percent of voters say they're "very" or "somewhat" worried that they or someone in their immediate families might catch the coronavirus, down by 10 points from April's poll (with much of the decline coming from Republicans).
Nearly half of voters — 46 percent — describe the state of the economy as "poor," the highest percentage on this question since September 2012.
And over half think, "...it will take a year or longer for the coronavirus to be contained and for the economy to return to normal."

Presidential indicators were also part of the poll, with Joe Biden holding a 7-point lead over Donald Trump, same as April.  Respondents broke for Biden by about a 2-to-1 margin as someone who could unite the country - that should be a wake-up call for the President, who has had difficulty finding his voice regarding race relations in the current crisis; and more felt Trump could restart the economy, with the President holding an 11-point margin.

When things seem out of control, we can know that God is in control.  These polling results are just a reminder that we need God's presence - He is the one who can bring stability to our streets and to our lives.  His love and truth are necessary in navigating important human relationships.

We recognize that God's words and principles can lead to peace - inwardly and outwardly. Scripture teaches that He has not given us a spirit of fear, which can be helpful in these seasons of instability.  We need sound-mindedness in order to think Biblically about what we are seeing unfold in our country and in the Church.  Because, there are those in the Church who have adopted worldly ideas; we have to make sure that we are walking in step with His ideas.

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