By Dr Steve Danso – The young girl traveling with his father in a private jet was sleeping when a gentle tap from one of the stewards shook her up. “Kathy, Kathy, we are in a bad weather, get up and fasten your seatbelt,” the steward ordered. Kathy, her eyes bleary, lifted her head slightly and put it down again appearing as if she was in a trance. The Steward, sensing that Kathy needed time to organize herself, initially winked at her behavior, but as the turbulence increased and became an agonizing nuisance, he tapped Kathy again, telling her to wake up and fasten her seatbelt.
At this stage, Kathy, visibly appearing to be disturbed in her sleep, asked the Steward, “Sir, is my father still the pilot?” The Steward replied ‘yes’ and Kathy again went back to sleep, resting her head on her chair without heeding the Steward’s instruction.Kathy’s ‘statement’ was simple; when your father is in control, you don’t need to panic.She knew that in his father’s company, there is nothing to worry about; she will be fed when hungry, clothed when the need arises, covered in times of trouble and comforted when she grieves. The confidence of children in our homes stems from this great feeling; that they may never be in want.
That’s not the same feeling we get with our Father in heaven.There are times when we take matters in our own hands and end up in confusion when we should seek His presence for guidance and direction. We read His word, which assures us that He will never leave or forsake us, but still shudder at the thoughts of failure (Deuteronomy 31:6). Yes, we get apprehensive when things don’t seem to go right and often forget that the higher authority we serve is ever present in our lives. The problem we have is that we call Him our Father, but still do not know how to respond to Him.
In the Book of Isaiah, we read a story about the encounter between the Prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah.Hezekiah was sick and as he was recovering, emissaries from city of Babylon, sworn enemies at the time, visited him and showered him with presents. Elated by this gesture, Hezekiah took the emissaries round his house, showing them all what he had, including the armory among his treasures. This appeared as a ‘strategic mistake,’ but Hezekiah did it.
“Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,” says the Lord. “And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “at least there will be peace and truth in my days” (Isaiah 39:1-8).
Peace with yourself when there is a looming catastrophe with your children involved? That’s how Hezekiah saw it. To most of us, that tepid response was a bit callous and not expressive of how he should have reacted under such circumstances, but Hezekiah knew who God is and was not bothered by the prophecy. His focus was to continue to trust God and let His Will be done.
Daniel says in 11:32; “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
Admittedly, it can be hard to stare at failure and assure yourself that God is in control, but as Paul says in Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” It is always a great feeling to think that you have a God who is with you every step of the way. Hezekiah knew that God was in control and his life and that of his family were in his hands. To get to that stage, you have to know God and trusting in God’s sovereign control and resting in it is the only way to know God.
To trust God, we have to know Him intimately, and the only one way to know Him is through His Word.God’s Word, the Bible, is the single source of power that positively impacts and transform lives from the inside out. Solomon says in Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” It’s that simple; we cannot understand God if we don’t study His Word! If we immerse ourselves in His Word, the sovereignty of God will become clear to us, and as we begin to know Him intimately, we will trust completely the God who controls all things for His perfect purpose.
Dr. Danso is a contributing opinion writer and the Elder of Immaculate Pentecostal Church of Christ at Baychester in the Bronx, New York.
