Lately it seems as though each day brings more uncertainty and new instabilities in the world we live in. This past week, I sat in church and listened to different reports of global events and how they were affecting so many people. It was heart wrenching, to say the least. But at the close of the service, the pastor asked a simple question, “Are there not things we can be thankful for?” He then asked for people to share praises and things they were grateful for. I listened to God’s people share about the things He had done, praise His character, and thank Him for His many blessings.
Those moments of testimony didn’t diminish the problems in our world or the struggles in everyday life. But what it did do was take our focus off the chaos and confirm God’s faithfulness to His children and His sovereignty.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of Hezekiah in Isaiah 37. A king much greater than King Hezekiah had promised to wipe them out, yet Hezekiah’s response to this imminent threat was remarkable.
“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God . . . . Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only.”
—Isaiah 37:14-20
King Hezekiah humbled himself, gave God praise and acknowledged that He was ultimately in control. He prayed that God would intervene, and God answered his prayer!
No matter what the latest headline reads, remember the God we serve and give Him some praise.
Be Encouraged.
Chad
