Have your ever felt as if your world was falling apart? If divorce is part of your life story, you know exactly what I am talking about. But the experience is not limited to divorce. Job loss, having a falling out with friends or family, accidents and natural disasters, medical conditions or suffering a time of depression are a few examples of other things that can leave you feeling that everything is falling apart around you. For many of us, just looking at all the things going on in the world around us makes us wonder whether the entire world might be falling apart!People react to these kinds of situations in lots of different ways, sometimes depending on how personally they are affected by the event. Some people plunge into despair and isolation. Others become so troubled by how things are that they choose to take action, attempting to help be a solution to the problem in one way or another. Some are affected physically, and end up sick in bed. Still others le the stress come out on those around them, maybe even severing ties with friends, family or work. Sometimes with devastating effect.In these kind of experiences, sometimes all that is required of us is to endure our way through. Sometimes we have to make choices to change our own behaviors and reactions. Perhaps one of the most healthy ways to respond to these situations is to garner the support of close friends or family, someone who can help them think through their responses. And of course, prayer and time with God in the scripture can often be the most valuable response of all, because it allows us to gain the eternal perspective we need to face the hard things in our lives.It is that eternal perspective I wish to highlight tonight. No matter what you see happening in your life or in the world around us, recognizing the role of God is one of the most strengthening resources to help you through. When you see things from that point of view, you realize that though it may seem like the world is falling apart, the truth is that God is still on his throne, nothing has escaped his notice, he has not lost control and continues to move history toward the ultimate goals he desires. I love the verse in Proverbs 19:21:
Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the Lord will stand. (NASB)
We may think we have things all figured out, or we may think everything is out of control, or that evil men are making plans that will ruin everything. But this verse reminds us that we can make all the plans we want, but God is STILL in charge, and his counsel will stand. When you feel like your life, your world, or everything else is falling apart, it is good to remember that it only appears that way to us because we cannot see all that God sees. He knows the ending from the beginning, and holds us in even the most devastating of circumstances, and he will work purposes that sometimes are far beyond anything we can imagine. God is still on the throne. Whatever you are experiencing, know it is going to be okay, if you will yield yourself to the plans that he has, knowing that he DOES know what he is doing. And in a world as uncertain as ours with all the upheaval we can experience day by day, THAT my friend, is GOOD NEWS!
