“Give me some hope,” my friend pleaded with me.
We had been discussing the turmoil in the Middle East. I paused before answering, wanting to avoid quoting Scripture torn out of context like I was cracking open a fortune cookie.
“God is still in control,” I said, the words rolling out before I could mentally analyze what I was saying.
I immediately wished I had said something more profound, more erudite. It sounded too simple.
My words didn’t make much sense in light of the news. As I write this, the U.S. State Department has issued a “worldwide caution” travel advisory and a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for Lebanon, with Iran ramping up terrorist organizations to attack Israel’s northern border. Israel is concerned that Hezbollah, with estimates of 20,000 fighters, is preparing a full-scale launch against Israel. All this with President Biden addressing our nation after making an unprecedented war-time visit to Israel, assuring them of the U.S. support and trying to cool the boiling pot, which IS the Middle East.
“God is in control.” It doesn’t seem like it.
According to one estimate (Chris Hedges, The New York Times), of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for only 268 of them or just 8 percent of recorded history.
But what about strife among tribes and families? The Hatfields and McCoys, for instance, feuded from 1863-1891, with more than a dozen killed from both sides. Those two families represent only a tiny portion, one example, of families in turmoil throughout history. And we haven’t touched on the concept of domestic violence.
It all started with Cain and Abel, in which case Cain not only committed the first act of domestic violence but genocide as well, wiping out one-quarter of the world’s population by murdering his brother. Humans killing humans escalated as warriors refined their weapons of destruction. But the heart of hatred is the same: there is nothing new “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). And Jesus himself warned of “wars and rumors of wars” before his return, with nation rising “against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 25:6-7).
And so, the rhythmic beat of death marches on, a harbinger of agony and grief. Here: hostages slain; there: children butchered; down the streets: hospitals bombed; on every corner: innocents used as human shields. Meanwhile, the powerful in faraway places refine the methods of murder, priding themselves with their stockpiles of destruction.
Despite the threatening clouds on the horizon, we can stand with the author of Psalm 46, who visualized the world’s nations and kingdoms in “an uproar,” about to “totter” (Psalm 46:6). Despite that, he stood firm, banking his faith in God, “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (46:1). And we can look to Jesus Christ who said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
God is in control.
Not so long ago, in the 1990s, Twila Paris would sing it to crowds, “There is one thing that has always been true/It holds the world together/God is in control.”
It was true when Cain raised his weapon against Abel. It was true when the Psalmist, amidst the shaking of the heavens and the earth, held on to the God already holding on to him. It was true when God’s Son, Jesus Christ, was tortured and murdered on a forsaken hill called Golgotha.
And it’s true today, as we stand on the precipice of yet another regional conflagration that has worldwide implications:
God is in control.
You can contact Dr. David Whitlock at drdavid@davidwhitlock.org