HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS
Read Job 12:10
What is in God’s hands? Is God in charge of every animal, bird, insect and human? There is no life that God is not in charge of. God is in control of every being that lives here. We are not His robots and He is not a God who treats people and animals like puppets. You have been reading for the past 5 months about all His wonderful promises He has made you and all people. He is a GOOD God and it is a GOOD thing that He is in control. If He was not in control of your life, He would not be able to promise you this promise: Read Jeremiah 29:11 What does God know? What are God’s plans for your life like? Are you thankful God is in control of your life?
GOD RULES OVER EVERY RULER
Read 2 Chronicles 20:6
Is there any other God besides God? What does God rule over? God is in control of every nation and every king even though there are rulers who do evil things. God is a powerful God, but remember that you have learned He is also loving and patient. He is not a God who will force people to follow Him. It must be your choice. Those evil leaders and kingdoms have not chosen to serve Him, so God is allowing them to live and lead based on their choice to do things their own way. The crazy thing is that God is still in control. No matter what they do, good or evil, God will use all nations and leaders to make His plan happen. Read Job 42:2. Can anyone stop God?
DID YOU KNOW?
Every Easter we celebrate Jesus riding in on the donkey on Palm Sunday. We call it Palm Sunday because the people laid palm branches down for Jesus to ride over. Every time you see a Palm tree, you can think of Jesus going to Jerusalem to die on a cross for your sins.
GOD GIVES A LEADER LEADERSHIP
Read Romans 13:1
Who establishes an authority? Why should you obey your authorities? God puts every one in authority in a position for a reason. No one is in any position because of their own abilities. This can give you comfort and hope for any leader that no matter their choices, God is using them to make His great plan happen. This is true for leaders of nations AND leaders around you. You might not have voted for the person who was elected brave or princess at Kamp, or you might not like who your coach chose to be the captain of your sports team. But remember, God asks you to respect any leader because He put them there for a reason. Most importantly, God has put your parents as your authority for a reason. He is using your parents to grow you into a person of strong faith. He can do this with parents who believe in Him and parents who do not. If you are disobedient to them, just like the verse says, you are being disobedient to God.
GOD IS IN CONTROL
Read Hebrews 2:8
Is there anything that is “over” God? Is there anything that is outside of His control? God is in control. The Bible sometimes uses big words like “subjection.” This word has a simple definition. It means that God is over all things. All things are under His control. You don’t have to worry when something happens. There is nothing that happens that God doesn’t know about. There is nothing that surprises God. Evil and sin are not His fault…and sometimes it’s easy to point our finger at Him because He is in control. Evil and sin are the fault of humans. Remember, He is patient and wants everyone to know Him. He is merciful because He longs to hang out with His creation. In all situations, you can trust that God is at work for the good of those who love Him!
GOD’S IN CONTROL OF THE KEYS
Read Revelation 1:18
Jesus was dead but now He is what?
What does God have the keys to? If you have the keys to your house, then you are in control of who goes in your home. God says that He has the keys to death and eternity. You are old enough to start to learn that there are two kinds of eternal life and your decision of who you follow on earth determines where you will be for eternity. You can be with God forever in heaven or you can be apart from Him in Hell. Many people use this fact to scare you. God doesn’t do this. Instead of scaring you into making a decision to follow Him, He makes tons of promises to show you how great He is! He wants you to experience the good things of following Him now and in eternity. The good news is God is in control of eternity! He was dead but now is alive. Because He is the only one to rise from the dead and NEVER die again, He has the keys.