Does ‘God Is in Control’ Appear in the Bible?
There is no place in scripture that says these words precisely, but situations in the Bible demonstrate the truth of God’s control. His omnipotence is a fact whether we like it or not. How is “control” defined? Several words come to mind: authority; subjection; sovereignty; power; dominance; restraint. God’s people are often in battle, either over the powers of flesh and blood or of the spiritual realms.
What Does it Mean that God Is in Control?
These verses give us confidence that God sees what we suffer, is planning to deliver us, and that He has our best interests at heart. He shows up when we mess up. Christians can trust and rely on Him to supply a rescue as He did by the sacrifice of His Son for His glory. Some people might think this makes God a megalomaniac or puppet master, abusing His authority to exalt Himself.
John Piper writes “the natural person prefers his own autonomy” and will sin as a result. “Glad submission to God’s authority, and to God’s superior value and beauty, is something we are not able to do.”
God’s control, his authority, gives us freedom because “the human will is free when it is not in bondage to prefer and choose irrationally. It is free when it is liberated from preferring what is infinitely less preferable than God, and from choosing what will lead to destruction.” (Ibid.)
We all submit to something—whether to God or to desires of the flesh—but only submission to His authority frees us from slavery. His authority is safety for the vulnerable.
As for exalting Himself, the Lord says “[h]ow can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.” (Isaiah 48:11) Our purpose is to praise and worship Him, not to try to manipulate Him for answers to prayer on our terms.
God has the last word, but that word is not what we are expecting.
The Israelites expected their Lord to exercise control in the manner of a Roman soldier over his troops; in a cause and effect pattern. Jesus’ disciples could not imagine any other type of display, least of all the agonized and humiliated form of their crucified Rabbi. Jesus demonstrated what it means to serve the King, submitting to ultimate authority. He modeled loving submission to the Father.
Then God surprised everyone by demonstrating that He has control over sin and death, raising His Son from the grave. Life itself falls under the command of He who bestows life in the first place.
He is commander of an army, God’s people are His soldiers, and He exercises authority over them. God not only leads but protects, accepting responsibility for His people. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
He makes promises and keeps them, always.
Scripture Passages That Assure God Is in Control
Joshua 1: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Moses was dead, Joshua was appointed leader to take Israel into the Promised Land after 40 years in the desert.
God Almighty possessed ultimate control over the outcome, and Joshua knew the Lord was faithful. God promised Israel a land of their own, and He delivered according to His timeline and by His methods.
John 2: Christ caused chaos in the temple where moneylenders and vendors were turning His Father’s “house into a market.” (John 2:16)
The Jews asked under whose authority Jesus overturned the tables and whipped the vendors. He answered “destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19) Jesus was talking about His body. The temple was destroyed at the cross and raised again three days later.
God’s authority is total, encompassing even life and death.
Isaiah 45: “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” (Isaiah 45:3)
Isaiah is talking about King Cyrus, referring to him “as Jehovah’s ‘shepherd,’ the Lord’s ‘anointed,’ who was providentially appointed to facilitate the divine plan” of setting Israel free from captivity. Yet, Cyrus “did not ‘know’ Jehovah” and became “an unconscious tool in the hands of the Lord” about 150 years after Isaiah’s prophecy.)
Cyrus did not know or obey the Lord and God used Him anyway. This is powerful evidence of God’s control over the Jews’ situation, His sovereignty over time, demonstrates a power which never becomes outdated. He mapped out the resolution to sin and death before we were born. Even unbelievers like Cyrus are subject to God’s command.
Josephine's Designs 