Who Controls Your Future?
By Rick Warren
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT)
One of the great fears you face in this life is the fear of the future. You fear for the future of your family, your friends, your job, your community—and everything else in between.
It’s natural. You’re not in control. But that realization should drive you to trust God more deeply.
You might not be in control of your future, but God is. He created the whole universe. If he wanted to, the Lord could just snap it out of existence in a moment. Yet he is working his plan in history. He is moving history to a climax, a destiny. One day Jesus Christ will come back to Earth. Nothing will stop that.
Just as God is working in history to move events toward a particular moment, he will work in your life for a purpose, too—if you’ll let him.
The Bible says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT).
God’s Word doesn’t say that everything is good. It also doesn’t say that God causes everything. He doesn’t cause war. He doesn’t cause cancer. He doesn’t cause rape, abuse, or molestation. He doesn’t cause evil. People do that. God gives people the freedom to choose. Evil is the price of that freedom.
But the Bible does say that God causes everything to work together for good. He can take the dumb, evil, and bad decisions you’ve made in your life and use them for good if you’ll trust him. Romans 8:28 isn’t a promise for everyone, though. It’s for “those who love God.” It’s for those who trust God and say, “Here, Lord, you take all the broken pieces of my life and put them together.”
This is why, when I read the headlines each day, I don’t worry. Sure, there are a lot of problems in the world today, but God is still in control. God is still moving history to a climax. And God is still moving his people toward his best for them. One day God will work everything out for his purpose.
Because God is in control, you can trust him with everything—including the good, the bad, and the ugly of your life.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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