He Reigns

 "Jesus fully realized what was going to happen to Him. Stepping forward to meet them, He asked, 'Whom are you looking for?'

'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. And as He said, 'I am He,' they all fell backward to the ground. Once more He asked them, "Whom are you searching for?' And again they replied, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' 'I told you that I am He,' Jesus said, 'and since I am the One you want, let these others go.' He did this to fulfill His own statement, 'I have not lost a single one of those You gave Me.'

John 18:4-9

We are born with a desire to control, and we don't want to be in any situations where we aren't in control. Such situations terrify us, but it isn't too long in life before we discover that we're in control of very little that goes on around us, or even as concerns us. This has always been a reality, but I think it's a reality that is hitting home now more than ever before. The pandemic, and how it has affected our lives socially, economically, and spiritually, has brought us into a time few, if any of us have experienced before. Many of us are living with the sense that everything is out of control, and we have no power to change any of it. The effects; fear, depression, anger, helplessness, are being seen throughout our societies. In the midst of this, there is a truth we need to know, that we must know. All that is happening, all that has happened, and all that could ever happen, is not out of the control of the Father through Jesus Christ. Scripture states that in Christ, "All things hold together," that in Him, "We live, move, and have our being." In the midst of what can very often seem to be chaos, stands, lives, the very real presence of Christ.

The above Scripture takes place upon Christ's arrest by the Jewish religious leaders. He's confronted by His betrayer, Judas, and the more than 100 Temple officials and soldiers. Yet from the very first moment, we see that it is Jesus, not they, who are in control of the situation. Before they reach Him, He steps out to meet them. Their intent was His and His disciples harm. Yet at a word from Him, all of them fell back, and upon the ground. The religious and political authorities of the world had come for Him, but they, as all secondary authority must, had to bow before Him. I believe that their intent was to arrest His followers along with Him, but again, Jesus was in command of the situation. He didn't ask them to let them go. He demanded they do so. He submitted to the arrest because He knew it was in His Father's purpose that He would. He could never have been taken had this not been the case. From this we need to know that only what God permits can ever touch or affect His people, and if He permits, it's because He has a greater purpose in mind. One that will be seen, in His timing, to be so. Christ submitted to the agony of the cross in order to bring forth the glory of His resurrection. He brought life out of death, and not just for Himself, but for all who believe upon Him in truth.

Chaos, and out of control circumstances may well be your experience, at least to some degree today. For the people of faith, we need to believe not what we see, but what He has said, and says now. The circumstances, the difficulties, the dangers, and all the fear and pain that go with them, are not the controlling factor. He is. He is Lord....over all of them. He is Lord over what is happening in your life, family, ministry, church, and nation. At His Name, every knee must bow. The Jewish council thought they destroyed Him on the cross. Satan was sure he'd defeated Him on the cross, and sealed Him in His tomb. Then came the resurrection. We, you and I, must hold on to that. In what seems like our worst time, He will show forth as our great Lord. Looking down or around will rob us of hope and joy, but when we look up, we see Him, His glory. We will know once more, that our God reigns.

Blessings,

Pastor O