In those few words, a picture is painted of our Heavenly Father. He knows all that is going on in this seemingly crazy world of ours. Every hope, every dream, every fear. Nothing escapes His notice.
It's easy to forget that, as we get caught up in what's happening around us. I mean, is it just me, or are there more disasters in this time than at any other point in history? Cyclones, floods, earthquakes, terrorism, martyrs, broken families, the list could go on forever. I know I can stop and look around me and feel quite overwhelmed. There seems to be danger just about everywhere.
It's human nature to want to be in control of our destinies. But when things happen outside our power, how do we react?
From a God perspective, the answer is simple. TRUST. This seems to go against all logic when we look with natural eyes, but from God's eye-view it's a promise.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, "cast all your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you." And in Jeremiah 29:11, ""For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you a hope and a future."" And of course, Psalm 91:9-10, when we make God our refuge and dwelling place, "…no harm shall overtake us, and no disaster shall come near our tent."
I decided many years ago to trust God in everything. I took Him literally when he said that a thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but no harm shall befall me (Psalm 91). I know that as my Heavenly Father who commands the winds and the waves, He would give me every possible warning, opportunity of escape and divine protection in every situation. He has proven this time and time again.
Most recently, my sister was in Christchurch for an ANZ netball contest between the West Coast Fever and the Canterbury Tactix. The Fever played their game on Monday night and were due to fly out Tuesday about midday.
The night beforehand, my parents were in a prayer meeting and felt the Lord impressing on them to pray for protection over our family. They didn't know why but agreed together that our family was covered by the blood of Jesus and no harm would come to us.
Tuesday morning I awoke with the same feeling and prayed likewise. A few hours later Christchurch was hit by a 6.3 scale earthquake which as we know, caused billions of dollars worth of damage and took the lives of over a hundred people. Such devastation is heart-wrenching, but even more so when someone you love is involved.
I received a call at work that day from my mum. I had no idea anything had happened and suddenly heard her say "There's been an earthquake in Christchurch." You can imagine how I felt!
However, my sister's flight left less than half an hour before the quake! They were all safe and on their way back to Perth.
I found out later that they could have still been at the airport at the time of the impact. A medical incident on the flight almost delayed the flight.
Even when I think about it now with my sister right beside me, I feel the closeness of that encounter. My minds whirls with thoughts of what could have happened. What if their game had been a day later? What if they'd had a later flight? Then I praise God for His divine promise of protection and how he got her out in time!
I don't have all the answers, and I don't know why there are so many troubles in the world today. But I do know that God is love. He loves us beyond compare, so much He sent His Son to die for us so we could be His. And I know that in every situation, God promised to protect us as we continue to draw close to Him.
So whenever I feel afraid, I thank God that I am covered with the blood of Jesus and that He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust (Psalm 91:2).
After all, He has the whole world in His hands.