“Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.” (Isaiah 8:10)
The Lord is worthy to receive power. He is both worthy to receive our power as we present our bodies to Him as living sacrifices and worthy to receive power as we acknowledge that He rules in the affairs of this earth. Because men on this earth rarely worship God by yielding themselves to Him, His will is rarely done among them. They choose those things that He does not delight in. Therefore this is His word to them:
“Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.” (Isaiah 66:3,4)
When we confess that Jesus is Lord we declare that in every situation God always has the final say. If He allows evil to triumph we know it is a temporary situation. “That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?” (Job 20:5) Instead of fretting at the sight of a wicked man who prospers in the way, God would have us remind ourselves that he will soon enough pass from the scene. His day will come and go. “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” (Psalm 37:35,36) “Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away …”
Our light affliction in this life is but for a moment. We are to look beyond the temporal to the eternal, knowing that a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory will be ours if we stay faithful to our God through the suffering of earthly trials. (2 Cor. 4:16,17)
The Lord has a word for His people in a dark day. The word is that they should make Him their sanctuary. (Isa. 8:13,14) They should hide themselves under the shadow of His wings. They should not fear what ungodly men can do to them. They should let the Lord be their fear and dread. When others aren’t, they should be giving God the power He deserves.
May we confess that our God still reigns even in a day when His ways are not chosen. May we be a worshipping people who let Him rule in us.