Where in the world is God in THIS? This could be any given situation on any given day. This is anything that seems outrageous, uncontrollable, beyond your means. This is the something that keeps you up at night; or “This” is the something that you call out for God to fix. #whereareyouGod
I remember a popular series called “Where in the world is Carmen Diego?” As an educator in mentoring teachers, I used this series as an introduction for problem solving. The ideal was to place the teachers, as students, into a place of confusion, murky, and darkness. The purpose was to showcase how their students would feel if the teacher failed to give students all the tools for problem solving. With a little modification, I could introduce some of the lyrics to help the teachers understand how deceiving or unflattering Carmen Diego was –
Well, she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina
She’s a sticky-fingered one from Berlin down to Belize
She’ll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China
Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
Steal their Seoul in South Korea, make Antarctica cry ‘Uncle’
From the Red Sea to Greenland, she’ll be singing the blues
She goes from Nashville to Norway, Bonaire to Zimbabwe
Chicago to Czech and Slovakia, and back
Tell me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
I know sometimes as Christians we seem so optimistic about the world or circumstances that surround us. It is our pleasure to say, God is in control.” No matter what is going on, you will hear someone say, “God is in control.” Yet, the truth is, to the believer, we find ourselves using these words not so much to console others but to console ourselves; it is as if, we must reinforce this saying to remove any doubt that God is in control.
So, where is the proof that God is in This – especially when your world seems to have turned upside down?
Let us give some thoughts, based on the Scriptures, to this very question for an answer – “Where is God in This?”
First of all, God is a planner; He has many plans. God’s existence was before the concept of time and seasons. God is eternal; He is life. He is wisdom. Thus, God, as a pre-planner organized the systems of this world. Where is God in This? In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, it was void. There was darkness; God’s Spirit moved over the face of the earth; God’s Spirit bought change. He caused light; He divided day from night. He distinguished what would be called morning and night. As God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?”
Whether you are a believer or not, there is no other science that has proven to be the reason for this cosmic phenomenon other than God, our Creator.
Second, as a pre-planner, God has only one plan for man. That plan is the plan of salvation through Jesus the Christ. Because of His wisdom, as a pre-planner, He devised a plan of escape for man. When God placed man in the garden of Eden to dress and keep it, God commanded man not to eat from the tree of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17, “Of every tree of the garden, you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you should not eat; for in the day that you eat of that tree, you will surely die.” And we know that man failed and disobeyed God(Genesis 3). Corruption produces corruption. Evil produces evil. Good fruit produces good fruit. God’s Word has not changed. Yes, God has a plan for man.
Third, God, as a pre-planner is purposeful. Man is important to God Man was created in God’s own image. Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Because God is our Creator, it is right that God has the final say so over His creation. When you are out of the purpose of God, bad things will happen. It does not mean that God’s plan is null and void; but you did not follow the plan. Just as God told the children of Israel, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” When you pray, seek me, search for me with your heart, I will hear you; I will bring you into a good place.” For the righteous like a Job; for the unrighteous ones, as well, God has the means and ends to accomplish His will.
Romans 8:28 says we are ‘called according to his purpose . Ephesians 1: 11 says ‘foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will; Ephesians 3:11 – ‘ according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 1:11 says, ‘ the counsel of his will.’ This means by His wisdom.
Finally, Where is God in this? Right where He has always been – “If you draw near to me, I will draw near to you. God is not out of place. Are we out of place with God? Out of step?
This is why we can say that God is in control Because when we check he scriptures, when we seek Him, we find Him; when we serve as obedient children, things are made better.
Where is God in THIS? No matter your THIS, God has the means to secure your end. Stay close to Him. Draw nearer to Him. He promised that He will not leave those who come to him. That is why even in the faintest of situations, the believer will proclaim that “God is in charge.” From the beginning, this world is the Lord’s and the fullest therein. There is an end-time. Where is God in this? Where He has always been -available to us.