Is God really in Control When Bad Things Happen?

Is God Really in Control When Bad Things Happen? Many of you know I have cancer. I’ve been living with it for 3 years. Most people, when they find out I have cancer Usually say something like, “I’m so sorry.” I appreciate that. I really do. However, cancer has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. These past 3 years HAVE been hard. But I wouldn’t trade them for anything.   It all boils down to the sovereignty of God. By that I mean, God really is in control, even when I experience hard things. Especially, when I experience hard things.   Today, I’m just going to tell a few stories. Stories from the life of the man I admired more than any other. Through those stories I’m going to unpack God’s sovereignty in the hard moments of life. If you’re like me, they will encourage you as you face the challenges in your life.   Today, October 19, is my dad’s 102nd birthday. He’s celebrated his last 21 birthdays in heaven. 3 months ago the doctor said the cancer in my lymph nodes had pretty much disappeared. He said that what was left was probably benign. The only remaining spot was in my bone. He said he could go after that with high dose radiation.   I’m not out of the woods. I still have cancer. It could metastasize again without warning. But I have chosen to EMBRACE the will of our sovereign God. Whether I live or whether I die, nothing can happen to me apart from His sovereign will. I learned THAT from watching my dad face deep disappointment, facing the deaths of people he loved, and facing his own death.   Folks, when you receive HARD NEWS and can say, “Thank you Lord,” When you can say in your PAIN, “I’m rejoicing in the Lord,” When you can say in your DESPAIR, “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” That’s what it means to EMBRACE the will of our sovereign God.  God is the issue—in every issue.