Life is in God’s hand
MANY times we wonder why there are people who are living their lives as if their lives here on earth are forever. Forgetting that our life is under God’s control, under God’s authority, and under God’s sovereignty. Our life is in God’s time, in good times and in bad times, during Biblical times and during our contemporary times, for all of us regardless of gender – the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the healthy and the sick, the young and the old, the educated and the uneducated, and the scientists and the non-scientists. Regardless of who we are, where we are, and regardless of the circumstances, God controls our last breath. As King David cried out when he was hit by all kinds of problems and was under so much stress: “I trust in You, O Lord. I say You are my God. My times are in Your hand.” (Psalm 31:14-15)
*** Today, we hear of many sick people who have lost their will to live anymore because people close to them predict that theirs are hopeless cases and that they are going to die within a few days or within a month or so.
Let me share with you a true story about an American who was diagnosed with three deadly kinds of cancer. The sick American did not undergo chemotherapy or radiation in US. Instead, the sick American went to Germany to undergo a cancer treatment known as the 8th Element Protocol, otherwise known as the Oxygen Treatment. The American was miraculously cured of his cancer ailments. The American lived for 19 years more after his treatment. He died at the age of 93 from Alzheimer’s disease and not from cancer. The American was no ordinary American. He was Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. President Reagan did not experience hair loss, nausea, pain, or other side effects normally experienced by those undergoing chemotherapy and/ or radiation treatment. And wonder of wonders, President Reagan finished his second term as President! ( Source of information: Internet report of Dr. Al Sears, M.D., author of E-book titled The 8th Element: Nature’s Universal Cancer Killer)
*** The biblical verse that “our times are in God’s hand” together with another Biblical verse (Trust in the Lord with all your heart) are powerful verses that go hand in hand. Why? Simply because God controls our times, our life, and our circumstances. If this is so, then we need to be close with God and have a personal relationship with Him. The only way we can have a personal relationship with our Lord God who controls our life is to trust God completely through his son Jesus Christ, the one and only mediator between God and men. (Please see 1 Timothy 2:5.) Throughout the Bible, we find repeatedly the verse, “Trust in God.”
*** When King David said, “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord. I say You are my God. My times are in your hand” – he was under a stressful situation. At that time, there were people who wanted King David killed; his friends and neighbors turned into enemies; and people slandered him. Worse, King David had to wrestle with guilt for his sin and resolve his relationship with his own son Absalom who was rebelling against him and wanted to overthrow his father. In other words, the situation then was traumatic marked by instability and uncontrollable events. This is similar to what is happening to us nowadays – stressful situation complicated by so many unexpected happenings in our lives. As in Biblical times, stress exists in this modern fast-paced world. Many of us rely on a variety of solutions to lessen and/or eradicate stress in our life. In contrast, David stuck to only one solution, namely to trust God completely for his problems.
*** Today we are all faced with one crucial dilemma: whether or not we should trust in the Lord completely. In resolving this dilemma, let us not forget that God has fixed a duration for our lives. As someone once said, “In God’s grace, He will not allow one day more or one day less than that duration. It’s all according to His divine plan. The exception to God’s plan is the possibility that there are those in Christ who will never die.” They will be “raptured” (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17) and the people who will be raptured will be “caught up together up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (See 1 Thessalonians 4:17)
*** Let us always remember that our Lord God is in control of everything in our lives from our date of birth to our day of death – and everything in between.
*** This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.
Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: villafuerte_nelly@yahoo.com.)