20 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Isaiah 40: 28
God is in control of all things. It is hard for us to comprehend this alongside free will, but God uses the actions of both the faithful and the unfaithful in His plans. One of the greatest examples we look at today is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 5:2.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
In order for this prophecy to be fulfilled, He used the actions of the unfaithful—Caesar Augustus, the emperor who wanted to count his kingdom, most likely for tax purposes—and the actions of the faithful—Mary and Joseph. God brought them all together to show the world, and generations to come, that He is in control.
In our own lives, we see bad things happening in the news every day. We experience hardship ourselves and witness good people going through incredibly difficult times. Today we must remember that both the good and the bad work together for the purposes of the Lord. He turns dark, frost-bitten winters into the most colorful, sun-filled spring days each year. And the harsher the winter, the more we appreciate the warmth and the blooms when they return.
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God, You are in control. You set the stars in the sky and the grass on the earth. There is nothing too big or too small for you to be in control of including us and our lives. Thank You. Guide us today and give us the strength we need to carry on. The long journey ahead can only be taken one step at a time. Guide our walk whether we are living faithful or faithless. Bring us all back to You so we can all share in Your Glory for good. Forgive us as we fail and help us back up. Give us eyes to see those around us who need helped up today.
Through Your mighty name we pray. Amen.