Trials and tribulations are guaranteed in the Christian life. But sometimes, when we walk through hard places, it’s hard to believe God is in control. I’d like to share thirteen verses you can meditate on to remind you God is in control.
Romans 8:28
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And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 ESV
This is one of my favorite verses, as it’s a reminder that when we seek to serve God and do the things He’s called us to do, even hard things will work out for our benefit.
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21 ESV
Have you ever made a plan and thought, “Yes, this is exactly how things are going to go.” Only…it doesn’t. Things fall apart.
Sometimes, to our amazement, the dismantled plan turns out better than we’d expected. This is a reminder to us that, though we should make plans in the Lord, we need to be flexible.
God is in control, and ultimately, His will is sovereign over ours.
Now, things may not work out better than you’d hoped (especially in the short term), but God is committed to doing what it takes to save our souls—even if it means dismantling our plans.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
This verse was included in a letter Jeremiah sent to the Israelites after they’d been taken as captives to Babylon.
As you can imagine, the Israelites were not amused. They’d been taken from their beloved land—the one promised to their ancestors. The land they’d waited over 400 years to inhabit…
But God wanted them to settle in and build houses. He wanted them to start families because here’s the thing: as much as the Israelites felt God had turned His back on them, He still had a plan for them.
This principle also applies to us.
My friend, I don’t know the current state of your relationship with God, but He has a plan for you. One that includes good things, so whatever’s going on right now, remember, God is in control.
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 ESV
If ever you need to remember that those who come against you will not persevere, this is the verse.
Doesn’t it just give you chills when you think about the fact that your enemy will not prevail over you because God is in control?
Isaiah 45:6-7
That people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
Isaiah 45:6-7 ESV
I’m a fan of those verses in the Bible where God tells us about Himself. I invite you to read those verses again.
You’ll learn that God is:
- Creator of light and darkness
- Maker of everything
- One of a kind
When you think about who God is, aren’t you glad He’s the one in control?
Psalm 22:28 ESV
For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Psalm 22:28 ESV
There are times when the leaders of our countries make choices we disagree with. They may even do things that go against God’s law or result in hardship for a lot of people, but it is God who ultimately rules over every nation.
Okay, so I know this one can be hard to accept, especially when these world leaders openly defy the living God, but we must remember God has a timeline known only to Him.
At the proper time, Jesus will return for the saints, but a sequence of events needs to happen first. These world leaders advance God’s agenda—whether they choose to serve Him or not.
Proverbs 16:4
The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Proverbs 16:4 ESV
I know this is a recurring theme, but it’s an important one for us to understand as we remember God is in control. God has a plan for everything. Your pain will not be wasted, and neither will the joy or the hardships you go through.
The wicked may prosper for a time, but if they do not repent, they will also have to answer to God.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
I know the easiest thing to do when you’re going through a hard time is to rail at God. You may wonder, if God is in control, why doesn’t He fix what’s broken?
Why doesn’t He make my path straight and give me justice in this situation?
My friend, I completely understand as I’ve been there many times. But oftentimes, I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:5-11. It is because God loves us that He allows us to experience things that will purify us.
We serve a holy God. One who demands that we be holy in turn (Leviticus 19:2). Rather than rail against God, let us humble ourselves and allow Him to exalt us—if He chooses and at the proper time.
Jeremiah 32:27
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
Jeremiah 32:27 ESV
This verse is powerful in its simplicity. Is what you’re worrying about too hard for God?
Bring your troubles to Him and allow Him to work in your life.
Lamentations 3:37 ESV
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?
Lamentations 3:37 ESV
Do you know anyone who can tell God what to do?
When you have a few minutes, I encourage you to read the entire chapter as a reminder of who God is and how we should respond to Him.
John 13:7 ESV
Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
John 13:7 ESV
This. We will not understand everything that God is doing in our lives. We just have to accept that and trust God to work things out in our favor.
I thought about this a lot as I read Countdown by Lynette Eason. Raina, the main female character, had difficulties trusting God because she had so many bad things happen to her.
She would eventually realize that God was with her through the hard times, but not until the end.
Countdown Review
When Raina sees a familiar face on the evening news, she realizes her past has caught up with her. Countdown is Lynette Eason’s fascinating conclusion to the Extreme Measures quartet.
Vince Corelli had been attracted to Raina Price for a long time. Though she didn’t encourage him, he was drawn to her nonetheless.
I appreciated Vince’s willingness to help Raina even with all the barriers she had in place. And the way he fiercely protected her until she came to realize Vince was a good man, one who could be counted on.
Raina’s past choices and the horrific consequences made it difficult for her to trust anyone with her secrets. But Vince was determined to help her.
Ms. Eason did a great job showing the reader Raina’s decision to trust Vince, by layering moments throughout the book.
As Raina learned to trust Vince, she was drawn closer to the heart of God.
Readers of Countdown will be reminded that we’ll go through seasons when we question God–His goodness, His sovereignty. We get through those seasons by focusing on who God is.
The faith element was subtle but readers will get a clear picture of a woman struggling to believe God is good because of all the bad things that happened in her life and a man who believes God is in control when they do.
Raina and Vince’s characters show us two possible responses to hardships in our lives. Each response is an opportunity to press into God and wait as He works things out in His perfect timing.
If you enjoy woman in peril, found family, protector, or the law enforcement trope, check out Countdown by Lynette Eason.
I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher through NetGalley and the Revell Reads program; a positive review was not required.
About Countdown (Extreme Measures Book #4)
A stalker who wants to finish what he started. A US Marshal who’s vowed to protect his charge. And one woman who is determined to put the past in the past.
Flight paramedic Raina Price has been running so long it’s hard to stop. To escape a dangerous stalker, she changed her name and disappeared, building a new life with the help of a friend from her time in juvie. It feels good to put her energies into saving people’s lives, but because her stalker was never found, she’s never stopped looking over her shoulder. And one can only run so far before the past finally catches up.
US Marshal Vincent Corelli’s job is to hunt down fugitives and protect those who are assigned to him. When Raina is almost killed right in front of him, he vows to protect her at all costs–whether it’s his job or not. Together they work to solve the mystery of Raina’s past. But someone is out to make sure Raina doesn’t live long enough to do it.
Countdown is the breathless conclusion to USA Today bestselling author Lynette Eason’s thrilling Extreme Measures series.
Purchase Countdown on Amazon | Christianbook
About Lynette Eason
Award-winning, best-selling author, Lynette Eason writes for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line and for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Her books have hit the Publisher’s Weekly, CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won numerous awards such as the prestigious Carol Award, the Selah, the Daphne, the IRCC award and more. Lynette is married, has two children, and lives in Greenville, SC.
God is in Control
It’s easy to believe the lie that God isn’t in control when our lives are out of control, but it all comes down to trust. Do we trust God to have our best interests at heart?
Do we trust God to do what is best even when we don’t like the process?
When I’m struggling to trust that God is ultimately in control, I remember the words of this song.
I pray the lyrics and these Bible verses will remind you that God is in control and you can trust Him.
