If God is in Control Then Life Isn’t Out of Control

Synopsis     1Sam 6:12-18     8/23/2018

The Philistine leaders desired to return the Ark of God to Israel. So, they loaded it  on a special cart made for the purpose. Then, they yoked two milking cows to the cart and put their calves away. And then, they let the cart go to see what would happen.

The cows immediately walked down the road to Beth-Shemesh. Now, Beth-Shemesh was a Levite city. So, the people there knew what to do. Accordingly, they placed the Ark of Covenant and the Philistine’s golden offering on a rock near where the cows had stopped. They used the wood of the cart for fire and offered the cows as a sacrifice. They also offered other sacrifices.

The Philistine leaders observed all of this before returning to their homes.

God Is In Control

Israel was experiencing one of the lowest moments in its history. The Ark of God had been captured by the Philistines. They had little hope of ever seeing it again. And with this loss, the people struggled with real questions about what the future might be like without God in their presence. They felt powerless and feared that the glory of God’s presence had gone forever.

Suddenly and unexpectedly the ark showed up. On the back of a cart built by foreigners who knew virtually nothing about the God of Israel. And, the cart arrived in Beth-Shemesh without anyone guiding it. No Israelite had anything to do with the journey. It was God alone, who chose once again to dwell in the Promised Land with His Chosen People.

If God Is in Control Then Life Isn’t Out of Control

Israel was anxious about the future. They had made most every mistake they could have made. And they ended up feeling the absence of God.

There are days when I feel the same. I can be so self-sufficient that my need for God isn’t obvious. It’s like because I read the bible, I somehow think I have God all figured out.

And then, all of the sudden, a single event happens and I feel lost. I sense my separation from God. And I find myself wondering whether I’ll ever again experience the awareness of God’s presence. I find myself in a wondering lament, questioning whether my sin and arrogance have forever separated me from God.

It’s time to confess my sin.

And it’s exactly then, when the reality of absolution sets in. It’s then, in the moment when I regain the possibility of Eucharist, that I realize He always had me. And, it’s then that I realize He was always in control and never needed my “help” at all.

He comes to me not out of necessity. And, He comes back to me though the failure was entirely mine. He comes back to me.

“Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last” Rev 1:17