Devotional,  Faith

If You Ever Doubt If God Is In Control, Read This

 

Tommy and I switched churches back in January and the messages have been really blessing us each Sunday at our new church. I wanted to share with you what I learned this Sunday. It is something that has been helping with my anxiety, and helping me to trust God more. I hope it will be as encouraging for you.

Luke 22:9-13

They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters11 and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.”

13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

A Little Bit Of Background

This is the scene right before the last supper. It seems small and insignificant honestly. It’s just Jesus telling his disciples to prepare the feast, and the amazing part is so small that it is so easily missed. If our pastor didn’t point this out to me this Sunday, I wouldn’t have really given it a second thought.

At this point in the story, Jesus and his disciples were traveling to Jerusalem for Passover and this supper specifically, so it doesn’t seem all that strange when he tells them to prepare it. I’m not sure what the regular customs would be, where they would normally celebrate, but look closely at how comical it is when Jesus tells them what to do.

Jesus’s Instruction

He tells them “Go and prepare the feast”. And their response is so funny, “Where do we prepare it?”. I find it funny that Jesus doesn’t just tell them where to prepare it because they had just gotten to the city, and he knew that they didn’t know but he waits for them to ask.

But his response is so astounding. He tells them exactly where to find the man whose house they will be staying at and exactly what to say to him.

Jesus Shows He Is Always In Control

The details of what Jesus tells them is what shows his sovereignty over the whole situation, even up until his own crucifixion. He tells Peter and John that a man will be holding a jar of water, which our pastor told us is not common during this time in history; it would normally have been a woman getting water. I love how he tells them that the room will be furnished as well. It’s such a small detail, but it just shows how in control Jesus really is. And the best line in the whole passage? “They left and found things just as Jesus had told them.” Of course they did, but I wonder if they ever stopped and paused and just laughed at how cool it was to be so close to someone who knew literally everything.

Why This Is So Comforting

In the rest of the chapter, Jesus also goes on to say and do things that shows his sovereignty over everything that happens until his death. They’re easy to miss, but they are huge when you notice them. He also asks Judas why he is betraying him with a kiss, even before everyone else knows what is going on.

This is so comforting to me because if he was in control and knew what was going on during the worst thing that has ever happened, then he is always in control and knows what is going on with me, even when I don’t understand it. It shows that things are never as bad as they seem because Jesus is in control. This helps to ease my anxieties because it shows me that I can trust my Savior. You can find the full sermon here that I am recapping, it goes into much more detail.

\\How does this make you feel? Does it help you with trusting God like it does for me?