ANCIENT WORDS, MODERN WORLD WEEK 4: GOD WHERE ARE YOU? (NAHUM)

A couple of years ago I was on a hunting trip in Colorado, and it was beginning to get dark. So I started walking out to get to my ATV and head back to the cabin. In the darkness, I somehow got off the trail I had walked in on and soon found myself walking up to what seemed to be a wall of brush and brambles. As I turned to try to get back on the trail, what was under my feet gave way…and I found myself tumbling head over heels down the mountainside, totally out of control. I really don’t know how I got stopped or how far I rolled, but when I stopped, I made sure nothing was injured. Then I had to crawl back up the mountain to retrieve my gear before I could continue down to my ATV. It wasn’t the fear of being hurt that messed me up; it was that sensation of being out of control and being unable to do anything about it.

I believe that most of us do not like the feeling of being out of control. We want to know what is happening, what the outcome will be, and how we can somehow control that outcome. However, we find ourselves living in a world that seems totally out of control; it seems as if God somehow doesn’t care what’s happening (or just isn’t doing anything about it).  Remember, not every battle is ours to fight. We must know what we can control and what we cannot, then we must trust in and rely on God to fight it.

God is patient, but never passive. Don’t mistake God’s patience for indifference. 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  God is giving mankind as much opportunity as possible to find their way back to him. But don’t be fooled—when injustice and wrong feels loud and out of control, we remember who the judge is. When our footing gives out and we are seemingly tumbling out of control, we relinquish it to God, knowing he will ultimately defend, defeat, demoralize and destroy his enemies. We choose to trust that God has it in his time and in his way, and we simply look to him for his protection and refuge.