Here’s what God can do

I made a mistake first thing this morning—I turned on the news! Just watching the headlines made my anxiety increase. I suddenly found myself transported from a place of rest and peace into a world of anxious thoughts and a rapid pulse. I quickly recognized I was anxious about the lack of peace in the world. There was another mass killing on the other side of the country, and then, of all things, they had a report of how anxiety was at an all-time high!

I walked away from that newscast feeling anxious, and as I often do—which I should have done first!—I went and opened my Bible.

On this particular morning, my pages fell open to the book of Job. That was not exactly what I wanted to hear! I mean, how could I find relief from my anxiety in a book that seems to be all about loss? But I began to read.

God is asking his dear friend Job some questions:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7, NIV)

A little bit later on in the same chapter, God says:

“Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens, when the waters become hard as stone, and when the surface of the deep is frozen? Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s Belt? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?” (Job 38:25-33, NIV)

In another section:

“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook, or tie down its tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook? Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words? Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?” (Job 41:1-5, NIV)

I began to laugh out loud at the picture in my mind. God makes this humongous beast his pet!

I thought to myself, if God can do all of those beautiful and wonderful things, He certainly has the power to rescue me from evil and from anxiety, and to handle all of the brokenness of the world. I was so grateful for a new perspective!

As Philippians 4 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

Never forget, my friend. You are a miracle. Your friend,

You are a miracle!