#soap # 2 Chronicles 12 ## Title: God is in Control Even in Devastation ## Scripture: (2 Chronicles 12:7) When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon. My anger will not be unleashed against Jerusalem through Shishak. (NET) ## Observation: There is an uncomfortable truth that must be acknowledged in this chapter. God doesn’t stop all bad things from happening. If God is truly in control at all times, that means He has not stopped the most terrible things from happening in the past. This is difficult for people to get their heads around. Truly, the most difficult question I deal with as a pastor is the problem of evil. It’s not difficult because there is no answer. There is definitely an answer. The difficulty is we don’t like the answer. The simple answer is, God is in control and He has a plan that is so much higher than ours that we do not understand it from our point of view. How is it possible that a good God could have a plan involving the pain and suffering of innocent people? In our finite minds, we cannot always understand. However, we can choose to trust. The situation in this chapter shows that God allowed an invading nation to destroy much of Israel. However, He did not allow them to destroy all they wanted. Even in devastation, God showed mercy. This is a hard truth. You have to decide if you are going to trust God or not. ## Application: Choose to trust the Lord. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for being trustworthy.