By Paulo Maneja
2 Chronicles 20:6
O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
I still remember singing this in school when I was young: “He’s got the whole world, in his hands.” I loved that song but never knew what it meant.
Now that I’m older, I can reflect on the song’s meaning.
Our country and the world itself exists not because of itself, but because of God’s permission and power. “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth, and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” – Acts 17:26. People can draw maps and models of the earth, but God has no boundaries and He knows everything that happens. Leaders don’t determine the future of countries. God does, and He sets up people in authority. The stubborn will of the most powerful president can be directed by God as easily as a farmer chooses where to plow.
The Old Testament tells us that “The king’s heart is in the hands of the LORD. He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases” – Proverbs 21:1.
When God wanted to send the Jews back to Jerusalem, He directed the Persian King, Cyrus, to make an announcement to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Amazing! Earlier in their history, God had set the Israelites free from 400 years of slavery from Egypt, and even caused the Egyptians to give them supplies so that they didn’t go to the Promised Land empty-handed. Imagine that: their captors were the ones who gave them supplies to use when they went out of Egypt.
The Bible says, “Call to me, and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3). The Lord is telling us, “I am sovereign. Just talk to me. Tell me what is in your heart, and I’ll answer you. I can even send an army of angels to help you.” All we need to do is go to Him.
If we want a better economy, personal freedom, good education, or a change in this world, let’s pray for it. Let’s talk to God. Let’s pray– and not just for ourselves, but for others too. It is God’s mighty hand at work, and again… “He’s STILL got the whole world in His hands.
