Control

Song of the Week: "You Reign," 4HIM

Though the title of this post may lead you to think (and rightfully so) that this is a post about my personal struggle with control, it's not.  It's something much bigger than that.  It's about sovereignty...the sovereignty of God.

We live in a mean world.  In the midst of that world, it can be incredibly hard to keep the faith.  Our flesh is weak.  What's more, as followers of Christ, we fight an enemy who likes nothing better than to see our faith waver.  He will use all sorts of tragedies to rattle our faith.  If we live long enough, we will undoubtedly go through seasons of intense trial and tribulation, many of which will hit far too close to home.  The sad reality of life in this world is that our faith is constantly under attack, even by tragedies that don't affect us personally.  When trials come, we need to know that God is still in control!

During my first year of law school, I heard the devastating news that seven college students from South Carolina were killed when the beach house they were staying in caught on fire.  I did not know any of the victims personally, though I have several friends who did.  Despite the fact that I was personally removed from the suffering, the news of the tragedy rattled my faith unlike any personal tragedy I have ever endured.  For the life of me, I could not understand why God could allow something so awful to happen.  Because I grew up at the beach, the idea of gathering with friends at a beach house is so familiar, so sacred to me.  The idea of such joy turning into such grief is horrifying.  For weeks after the tragedy, I felt as though a black cloud had descended over my faith.  I never stopped believing that God is sovereign, but I just ... couldn't ... understand.  I can't begin to imagine how their loved ones felt.

Yet, somewhere in that bleak place of confusion and doubt, I heard these word from the song "You Reign" by 4Him:

"This is the peace in my heart
The strength of my soul
Whatever happens in life
This much I know
You are in CONTROL!"

Having wrestled for days to understand why God didn't prevent such a tragedy, I came to the conclusion that, this side of Heaven, we may not know why certain things happen.  It is enough to know that God is in control. For weeks, I listened to the song on repeat, allowing the words to wash over me and to restore my faith.  Though I still don't fully understand why God allows such tragedies as the Ocean Isle Fire, or more recently the earthquake in Haiti, I do know that He is sovereign.  I also know that all of the sufferings that we endure in this life are woven into his perfect plan of redemption. 

So, if you ever find yourself wondering where God is in the midst of your own suffering or even the suffering of others, consider the words of this song.  (It's a beautiful song, so I encourage to listen to it as well.  Here's a link to the audio.)

Long before you ever said
“Let there be light”
To long after this world has had
Its final night
Great god in heaven you’ll be
Where You’ve always been
Seated on your holy throne
King of all kings
Looking down on men

Chorus:
You are ruler above all the nations
Sovereign through all generations
Lord you reign
One day
All kings will tremble before you
I will bow down to adore you
Lord you reign

Morning and night the sky shouts
Your majesty
Saying the whole universe
Is under your feet
This is the peace in my heart
The strength of my soul
Whatever happens in life
This much I know
You are in control

Bridge:
There none like you
Lord you are worthy
Everything you do
Always is perfect