Have you ever been involved in a large event and things seem to be out of control? One of the first things you might hear from a frustrated participant is, “Who’s in charge?”
Why would it matter who’s in charge? Because it is assumed, or at least hoped, that the person in charge can fix the mess. Solve the problem. Straighten out the chaos.
And what happens when someone who is not in charge tries to step in and take over, thinking they can fix things? They have no idea what planning occurred or what foresight was used to make the decisions that were a part of the planning. They can’t know all the goals or the reasons certain actions were chosen and others rejected. With them taking charge, things can go from bad to worse very quickly.
And yet, we do this with our lives. We are the ones who step in and assume that when things are going a little different than we expected, or when things are flat-out a total mess, we have all the answers.
We don’t.
God says in His word that man makes the plans but God directs his steps. God is the one in charge. He is the one we should go to when things aren’t going well. It’s a mistake to step in and try to take things into our own hands. That goes for our own lives as well as other people’s lives. God’s in charge in both places. No matter how it looks.
“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.” – Proverbs 19:21 (CSB)
“For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations.” – Psalm 22:28 (CSB)