It is Friday night and departure to Haiti is near. Many meetings of preparation had ensued. Sermon prayed over and written on Psalm 46: Resting in God’s Sovereign Care. Music books purchased and packed for teaching at Christian Light School. Message complete on “The Gathering of Corporate Worship: A Biblical and Practical Approach. All my bags packed. And then after hours of diligent preparation it happens. Me, to my wife: Honey, would you get my passport out of the files (where we always keep it)? Joy: sure. No passport. So after hours of searching and I mean 6 hours including the house and office, no passport.
How could this be? I was ready and had made tons of preparation and prayed for this trip. I was in shock. Even as I type this I am in disbelief that I am here and not in Haiti.
These past 2 days I have known this truth deeply: If you think that you are in control of your life, think again. There is only one who is Lord of your life and His name is Jesus and He directs our steps. Psalm 37:23 states, The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. The maker of heaven and earth establishes my steps and yours. They are not established by me or someone else, lest we forget.
We think we are in control with our planning and agendas but God is the giver of life and graces us to live, serve, and have our being. He is sovereign not only of the whole world and the entirety of redemptive history, but our personal lives.
While I am sad to not be in Haiti with the mission team, I fully believe that the Great I Am, Savior of the world, and Sovereign Gracious Lord, did not intend for me to be in Haiti. His sovereignty cannot be thwarted. As I write this I think about one of the verses in my sermon that I was to preach Monday night. May it be an encouragement to you as well as you rest in God’s sovereign care. Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10a)
Pastor Keith