This devotion is a monthly ministry of the Pee Dee Baptist Association, comprised of 31 Southern Baptist churches in Dillon and Marlboro Counties. For more information call 843-774-8062.
Featured this month is Rev. Ron Taylor, director of missions for the Pee Dee Baptist Association.

“And He changes the times and the seasons: He removes kings and sets up kings: He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.” …Daniel 2:21

We live in a curious age. It’s an age where churches in many venues have become places of entertainment more than places of worship. People are worried more than they are worshipful. Even in many of the churches, we get the impression that the people think things are out of control, evil is winning, Christianity is losing, and God can’t do much about it.
Oh, how wrong. It is due to a spirit of unbelief and a lack of Biblical knowledge that such ideas creep into our churches after they have crept into our people’s minds. The Bible gives a very different testimony. And I for one choose to believe the Bible.
The Bible says that God is Sovereign over all. Not just in one place but in many places the Bible testifies to the Sovereignty of God. For example, see the following verses; Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 46;9-10, Psalm 103:19, and Proverbs 19:21. There are many others also.
Nothing ever catches God by surprise. Nothing occurs that He does not allow or cause. Nothing can overthrow His plans. No evil can overcome Him. No power is strong enough to thwart His plans. He rules. He determines the boundaries of the nations and decides for reasons of His own who will be King or President or Prime Minister. In all of this, God is working His plan.
The Bible is full of promises that reveal that. In the end, God prevails and rewards His people according to His mercy and grace, not according to their merit. Evil is temporary. It stands as a stark contrast to the teachings of the Bible and the goodness of God. God is eternal. Evil has an end. God has no end and no beginning.
So, knowing this, what is our proper response?
Here are a few suggestions. One, since He knows best and has all authority, let’s pray for His will to rule in our hearts, among our people, in our churches, and in the world.
Two, let’s also seek Him; seek to know Him and to make Him known. Three, let’s practice believe unhindered by our circumstances and the circumstances of those around us. In other words, let’s keep our eyes on the God of our circumstances Who rules rather than on the circumstances themselves.
It’s the beginning of a new year. May yours and mine be worshipful, not worrisome. May our year be filled with the knowledge that God is Sovereign, Jesus sits at His right hand, and unhindered belief in the Son grants us access to make our prayers known. And may those prayers be for His will, not ours.