Remember Who is in Control

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:2-8

Your nine o’clock meeting is scheduled to begin in thirty minutes, and you are late to work. Traffic reports warn commuters to take an alternate route - the interstate is blocked with a stalled car. Pulling out into the roadway, you tell yourself to relax. But a red sports car decides you are occupying his lane of traffic and cuts in front of you. The damage from the collision is minor, but you’ll have to wait for the police to come and make a report. You arrive at work only to learn the meeting was canceled due to your absence, and the boss wants to see you in his office immediately.

Trials and hardships are a part of life. Each of us experiences them. Many times they arrive without warning and leave us feeling out of control. But God has a design for troubled times. He uses each trial to draw us into a greater dependence on Him.

Hannah Whitall Smith writes, “In order really to know God, inward stillness is absolutely necessary.” When God is the anchor of your soul, His faithfulness and strength always overshadow life’s pressures. Stillness and trust in Him are our strength (Isaiah 30:15). Draw close to Jesus Christ, and He will calm the winds of adversity in your life.

“It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent.” -Jeremy Taylor