“The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace” (Dan 3:17)

This is a glimpse from the American History. During the summer of 1787, the American Constitutional Convention was at gridlock. For five weeks there had been a debate and a division concerning how each state should be represented. Should larger states with larger populations have more votes, or should each state have one vote, regardless of their size? Tempers flared and the division grew wider as each side strongly defended its position. Then one day, Benjamin Franklin addressed President Washington with these words – “Mr. President… I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” Though Franklin was not what we might call an ‘evangelical believer’, he did recognize and understand that God is in control.

God is in control of all events, as evidenced by the fact that he is sovereign over the future. God doesn’t just know what’s going to happen in the future, but actually controls future events. This counters, among other things, the false teaching known as deism. Deists believe that God has merely created the world and established certain laws by which his world works. He is like the clockmaker whose hands build the clock but are then removed from its regular operation. That is not the Bible’s view of God’s role. If it were, how could he know the future with any certainty? Instead, the Bible teaches that every event that takes place in the universe comes at the direct command of God. Consider that amazing story when Jesus tells Peter how to acquire the temple tax for the two of them. “Go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself” (Matt. 17:27). Jesus didn’t just create the fish and let it swim wherever it wanted. The only way Jesus could have done this is to direct the actions of the fish in a place that was unseen by human eyes. God directs the fish of the sea and He directs the birds of the air. Every single one of the thousands of birds that you sometimes see flying together, in a form that seems chaotic to our eyes, is directed by the command of God.

Today, our nation (Nigeria) looks like it is out of control, yet God is still on the throne. Only He knows what will eventually happen to America. As Franklin said, “God governs in the affairs of men.” This does not mean that everything that happens is according to His will. What it does mean is that even when men are living outside of the will of God, they are never beyond His control. Someone has said that history is ‘His-story.’

Child of God, remember that you are not alone. No matter the problems you are passing thru, Jesus is with you. He is the Fourth Man in the Fire! He is the God that saved Daniel from the lions. He is the God who gave old Abraham and old Sarah the son of promise, Isaac. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Heavenly Father too. Tell yourself this morning! ‘I am no longer a slave to fear! I am a child of God! God is in control of my life!’ Say it until you believe it! Faith and hope shall rise in your soul. The peace of Jesus will cover you as a soft blanket. Love will manifest. You are a fruitful vine! Keep praying! Endure to the end! Jesus is Lord! God is in control!