A Friendly Reminder to Myself: God Is Still in Control!

As I'm preparing to read through and study Job for the Nth time, I really must remember this absolute truth that in every trial a Christian faces, God is in control. I remembered the first time I got into Job and I was still a Roman Catholic who soon had a faith crisis, I really thought, "How can a God so good allow things so bad to good people?" But the question ends up becoming, "Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?" considering we've all been bad (Romans 3:10-19). Plus, if God allows bad things to happen to those He's made good, it's because He wants them to be better. Chastising is necessary for Christians to become better. 

The great comfort is that Satan must first get God's permission before he can do anything he wants to the Christian. If Satan was able to succeed in murdering Christians, he had God's permission. But God doesn't allow anything to happen to a Christian without a purpose. Satan couldn't kill Job until God allows it. When Christians suffer persecution even to the point of death, God still turns the tables upside down. Did you know that the more Christianity is persecuted the more it will grow? Reading the Foxe's Book of Martyrs, it's no surprise that Christianity only grew in opposition because of the truth that God is still in control.

Romans 8:29 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." If I'm suffering right now I'd say it's because there's still some sin I haven't taken care of or because I'm still in need of more refinement. Whatever the reasons, the sovereignty of God is definitely the pillow which I can lay my head on.