Think through today’s top news stories. A rogue country lands another missile in the middle of a city. Another country moves forward with a land grab. Alliances are made. Treaties are broken. The world seems to be in disarray and chaos, with the powerful exerting their will. Hold on just a second. 

Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. 

God is in complete control. He channels the king’s heart like a stream of water making its way down a hill, staying within its banks. God is sovereign as he works in and through people and circumstances. And, yes, sometimes he uses the wicked to move history forward to its destination—his glorious return. God is not letting things get out of hand; he holds everything together and directs the ways of men.  

The prophet Habakkuk didn’t understand how God was sovereignly using the wicked Chaldeans for his purposes (Hab. 1:2). But God was then, and he is today—working through all nations and circumstances, all world events, to move history forward and one day closer to his glorious end when we who know him, through Jesus, will enter the place he has prepared just for us. Until then, we live in awe and respect God—in fear of the Lord—for his sovereign work in the world and our lives—even when we don’t understand. 

Father, here I stand in my mess and anxiety, crying out my Habakkuk cries who said, “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear me.” Right in the middle of my confusion, I make this proclamation. You are God, and I am not. You are sovereign, and I am not. You are all-wise, and I am not. You are my Father. I love you. I stand in awe of you. And I trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Before you shut down your phone or scroll to the next email, take the next two minutes—just two minutes to thank God for his sovereign work in your life—even when you don’t understand. If you need to, cry out your Habakkuk cry. Let God know what’s on your heart.