Bethel Webb

In Pursuit of Control

2–3 minutes

In Pursuit of Control

Deut. 32: 39-40 (CSB)

39 See now that I alone am he;

there is no God but me.

I bring death and I give life;

I wound and I heal.

No one can rescue anyone from my power.

40 I raise my hand to heaven and declare:

As surely as I live forever,

Every day, human beings make choices. There are people who think a lot about their decisions, while there are some who do not or even cannot think about the process of decision-making. What do I mean by that?

There are many factors that are at play when we are faced with a choice.

  1. What will happen if I make this decision? Long term effects? Short term effects?
  2. How can I enact my decision?
  3. Do I really have a choice? Do I know all the choices?
  4. What if I make the wrong decision?

Regardless of the brevity of the decision, human beings need someone or something to trust. Whether we are aware of this or not, we exercise trust. We trust that our decision was good. We trust that even when we made a bad decision, everything will be okay. We trust that our mental faculties are working. We trust that the information that we have is accurate and sufficient. You get what I am saying.

Then there’s the experience of having trust issues. Most of the time people struggle to trust other people. Some people experience anxiety which leads them to doubt their ability to make a decision. Some people do not have enough experience, guidance, or information to make a good decision. Some people make flat-out bad decisions.

Additionally, your ability to make good choices depends on your personality, your socio-economic status, your education, your family background, and your experiences.

It’s risky!

Thankfully, we have a God who is trustworthy, in control, and powerful. In the above passage, we read God declaring himself as someone who determines who lives, who dies, who is healed, and who is wounded. I would want to trust in someone with these abilities.

Ponder on this: If this saying is true, would you trust God? What does trusting this God of the Bible mean for your decision-making process?