WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a man's heart,

 but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

                The date is April 3. We are officially into spring. On April 1, the streets and lawns were bare, with only a few telltale piles of dirty snow at the corners of driveways. As I look out of my window this morning, I see a blanket of new snow covering everything; at least 6” of snow!

                As a trudged through the snow this morning, on my way to my office, I was reminded that we are not in control of our world. As much as we want to control our environment, there is little we can really do. Two days ago, people were thinking about gassing up their lawnmowers. Today they are gassing up their snowblowers.

                On a global scale, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to its knees. The best that we can do is try to slow down the spread of this virus. But we have no control over it. We don’t even know how to combat it.

                Throughout history, humanity has striven to play God. Through our advances in science, we have convinced ourselves that we are the masters of our world. But we are wrong, dead wrong. I am not trying to suggest that God has intentionally plagued the world with this new virus as some act of divine punishment. What I am suggesting is that this latest pandemic should awaken us to the reality that we are not in control. No matter what our government officials are telling us, they are powerless to change the situation. We can moderate it. We can isolate it. We can monitor it. But we cannot control it.

                Long ago, Solomon penned a simple but profound truth. We can make all of the plans that we want, but in the end, it is God’s plan that will prevail. God’s plan right now is to awaken us to the reality of just how frail and vulnerable we are. Instead of cursing the darkness, we need to turn to the light. God is calling us to come to Him; to place our lives in His hands. It is the only truly safe place to be.

                We are rapidly approaching Holy Week. It will be one of the most unique Holy Weeks in my experience. We will remember Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection as individuals instead of corporately as congregations. But maybe that is not a bad thing. For each one of us must come to the cross of Jesus individually. We don’t come as a crowd, but as a person who Jesus knows by name and loves. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he conquered sin and death. He offers that victory to all who will put their faith in him.

                The timing of this pandemic is fortuitous. It serves to remind us that we cannot save ourselves. All of our best efforts fall short. But by going to the cross, Jesus did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We are not in control, but God is. Through Jesus, we can have the victory over death; we can have life eternal.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"