Are you down?

Our nation is spiraling into tyranny and socialism.

We are in economic catastrophe.

So many people are in need.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
(1 John 4:16 NIV)

“From out of a storm, the LORD said to Job: Why do you talk so much when you know so little? Now get ready to face me! Can you answer the questions I ask? How did I lay the foundation for the earth? Were you there? Doubtless you know who decided its length and width. What supports the foundation? Who placed the cornerstone, while morning stars sang, and angels rejoiced?
When the ocean was born, I set its boundaries and wrapped it in blankets of thickest fog. Then I built a wall around it, locked the gates, and said, “Your powerful waves stop here! They can go no farther.”
Did you ever tell the sun to rise? And did it obey? Did it take hold of the earth and shake out the wicked like dust from a rug? Early dawn outlines the hills like stitches on clothing or sketches on clay. But its light is too much for those who are evil, and their power is broken.
Job, have you ever walked on the ocean floor? Have you seen the gate to the world of the dead? And how large is the earth? Tell me, if you know!
Where is the home of light, and where does darkness live? Can you lead them home? I’m certain you must be able to, since you were already born when I created everything.
Have you been to the places where I keep snow and hail, until I use them to punish and conquer nations? From where does lightning leap, or the east wind blow? Who carves out a path for thunderstorms? Who sends torrents of rain on empty deserts where no one lives? Rain that changes barren land to meadows green with grass. Who is the father of the dew and of the rain? Who gives birth to the sleet and the frost that fall in winter, when streams and lakes freeze solid as a rock?
Can you arrange stars in groups such as Orion and the Pleiades? Do you control the stars or set in place the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper? Do you know the laws that govern the heavens, and can you make them rule the earth? Can you order the clouds to send a downpour, or will lightning flash at your command? Did you teach birds to know that rain or floods are on their way?Can you count the clouds or pour out their water on the dry, lumpy soil?
When lions are hungry, do you help them hunt? Do you send an animal into their den? And when starving young ravens cry out to me for food, do you satisfy their hunger?
[The LORD Continues]
When do mountain goats and deer give birth? Have you been there when their young are born? How long are they pregnant before they deliver? Soon their young grow strong and then leave to be on their own.
Who set wild donkeys free? I alone help them survive in salty desert sand. They stay far from crowded cities and refuse to be tamed. Instead, they roam the hills, searching for pastureland.
Would a wild ox agree to live in your barn and labor for you? Could you force him to plow or to drag a heavy log to smooth out the soil? Can you depend on him to use his great strength and do your heavy work? Can you trust him to harvest your grain or take it to your barn from the threshing place?
An ostrich proudly flaps her wings, but not because she loves her young. She abandons her eggs and lets the dusty ground keep them warm. And she doesn’t seem to worry that the feet of an animal could crush them all. She treats her eggs as though they were not her own, unconcerned that her work might be for nothing. I myself made her foolish and without common sense. But once she starts running, she laughs at a rider on the fastest horse.
Did you give horses their strength and the flowing hair along their necks? Did you make them able to jump like grasshoppers or to frighten people with their snorting?
Before horses are ridden into battle, they paw at the ground, proud of their strength. Laughing at fear, they rush toward the fighting, while the weapons of their riders rattle and flash in the sun. Unable to stand still, they gallop eagerly into battle when trumpets blast. Stirred by the distant smells and sounds of war, they snort in reply to the trumpet.
Did you teach hawks to fly south for the winter? Did you train eagles to build their nests on rocky cliffs, where they can look down to spot their next meal? Then their young gather to feast wherever the victim lies.
[The LORD Continues]
I am the LORD All-powerful, but you have argued that I am wrong. Now you must answer me.”
(Job 38:1–40:2 CEV)

Read the whole thing. God almighty, El Shaddai, ends this portion with: “I am the Lord All-powerful, but you have argued that I am wrong.”

Can God be wrong? Is God all-powerful?  YES! Our Bible says He is! God works all things toward his purposes. The meaning of His words couldn’t be clearer.

So, then, should we be ‘down’? NO! What ever things look like, whatever happens, we remain in the center of his will, in his hands. As believers and disciples, we are in the safest place in the world.

There’s a perfect poem that describes this better than I can. It’s titled:

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad I know
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Though night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll surely trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make;
Through all the way, though dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

(A. M. Overton)

Be comforted. Be secure. Be at peace. We don’t know the future but the ONE who loves us is in control.