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God gives us the courage to always be bold; however, when we encounter a difficult situation while preaching the gospel, we are sometimes seized with fear and become like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. God tells us, “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isa 41:10). Although we hear these words of God, sometimes we only focus on our immediate situation, instead of the internal aspects of our faith.
If those who preach the truth choose to hesitate or hold back, the gospel work cannot be accomplished. We need to realize how great our God is and believe firmly that God Himself is leading the work of the gospel. Only then can we have confidence and do everything that is necessary for the sake of the gospel.
God Manages the Entire Universe
Viewed from the perspective of the universe, the earth is only a tiny speck of dust. It is insignificantly small. On the contrary, the universe is vast and beautiful beyond imagination. The splendid and great celestial bodies maintain their balance by moving according to the laws established by God. The countless stars in the universe orbit one another precisely. Everything moves according to the providence of God.
It is God the Almighty who manages the great universe and can even change the orbits of the celestial bodies. Let us confirm the great power of God through historical records in the Bible.
On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. Jos 10:12–13
The army of Israel, led by Joshua, fought against the Amorites in the process of conquering the land of Canaan. If the sun were to set and create a dark environment during the battle, this would have led to unfavorable circumstances for the Israelites. In this situation, Joshua earnestly prayed to God, asking Him for help. At that moment, something surprising happened. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting almost a full day. The sun, which God had suspended over Gibeon, did not go down until Israel won the battle.
The sun had never stopped its regular daily rotation before; however, on that day, it completely stood still. This was a miraculous event that occurred according to God’s will. God showed something even more unbelievable, by making the sun go backwards.
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. This is the Lord sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’ ” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. Isa 38:1–8
When Hezekiah became ill, God sent the prophet Isaiah to him to predict his death. At that moment, Hezekiah prayed to God with tears, which moved God to extend his life. As a sign of His mercy to Hezekiah, God miraculously made the shadow of the sun go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway.
It is basic foundational knowledge as well as a natural law that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Therefore, it is physically impossible for the sun to move backwards; however, many supernatural events have occurred, all of which transcend the laws of physics. As humans, we cannot explain these events as anything other than miracles. It was only in accordance with God’s will that supernatural phenomena, such as the sun moving backwards, could take place.
The Earth Was Created According to God’s Will
It is not only the sun but also the earth that was created by God and exists in accordance with God’s providence.
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. Job 26:7
The above verse says that the earth is suspended in empty space. This shows that the creation of the earth was also in accordance with God’s will.
The earth we live in was created by God, and the enormous universe which the earth belongs to is managed by God as well. Nevertheless, we feel more attached to visible worldly things, oblivious to the fact that God created the vast universe and operates it.
When we fully realize the fact that God manages the entire universe, we will no longer succumb to our fears and everything will go well for us. If we have faith, all of the phenomena surrounding us will work in accordance with God’s will. Alternatively, if we do not have faith, we will come to see everything as a means to cause us trouble or as a hindrance.
Whenever we are confronted with difficulties, we need to remind ourselves that it is our Father and Mother who created the earth and manage the entire universe which is much, much bigger than the earth. Even the unfavorable circumstances that befall us and cause us difficulty will all work themselves out according to God’s will in the end. God, who knows the end from the beginning, is leading every aspect of the gospel work and guiding us on the path to salvation. In this situation, what do you think the result will be?
If something is from God, it will never fail (Ac 5:38–39). Since the beginning of history, there have been many people who have acted deliberately against God’s will; however, the world does not turn according to their will, not even for a moment. Approximately 2,000 years ago, during the time of the early Church, there was a group of people who schemed to hinder the gospel of God. Despite all of their efforts, they could not stop the gospel from being preached.
The situation today is exactly the same. This world only operates in accordance with the plan of God the Creator. This is the world we are living in. Keeping this fact in mind, we should preach the gospel with boldness. In doing so, we will surely witness the fulfillment of God’s prophecy, seeing many people gather to Zion in the last days.
“My Thoughts Are Higher Than Your Thoughts”
Fear stems from unbelief in the fact that the entire universe is operated according to God’s will. God constantly advises His people to look at the world from His perspective, which is a much wider and higher perspective, as opposed to our narrow point of view.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8–9
God says that as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His thoughts higher than our thoughts. If we try to use our own thoughts and abilities, we cannot move the earth even just a little bit, let alone stop the sun for a single moment. In contrast, God can reveal things to us that are even more miraculous than those that have been recorded in the Bible.
If this is the reality, should we choose God’s thoughts or our own thoughts? When our thoughts go against the teachings of God, we need to make a decision to throw away our own thoughts at that very moment, without hesitation.
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isa 55:6–7
The Bible says, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to God.” God has promised to have mercy on these people and pardon them.
If we do not throw away our own thoughts, we are likely to fall into the error of thinking that our simple thoughts are better than the great teachings of God. At that moment, a stubborn, self-centered and arrogant faith will settle in our heart, and we may become unable to receive God’s saving grace. If we have committed an error as foolish as this, we should quickly turn back to God and ask for forgiveness in obedience to God’s word.
God Brings Down Those Who Are Arrogant
Those who do not realize or fully understand the existence of God mistakenly give themselves credit when things go well, but this is completely wrong. The gospel work cannot be accomplished by human abilities. God looks deeply into our faith and opens doors for the gospel according to His will. The Church of God has become what it is today because God has been continuously guiding and leading us.
God does not bless those who have an arrogant heart. In the time of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was deprived of his God-given blessings when he exalted himself.
Then Daniel answered the king, “. . . O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.” Da 5:17–21
King Nebuchadnezzar arrogantly thought that he had built a strong kingdom by his own ability and power. As a result of his arrogant mindset, God gave him the mind of an animal. Eventually, he was deprived of his throne and he lived with the wild donkeys, eating grass like cattle. His body became drenched with the dew of heaven.
After living like an animal in the grass of the field for a long time, he realized that God is sovereign over all of the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes. It was not until King Nebuchadnezzar had this realization that he was able to fully recover his mind. His understanding returned to him, and he was allowed to regain his throne as he repented of his sin, giving praise and glory to God (Da 4:28–37).
Until We Realize God Fully
When arrogance arises in our heart, God disappears from our heart and it becomes filled with selfishness until God eventually chooses to shut the door to His blessings completely. When we examine the history of Israel in the desert, we can see and understand how the Israelites committed the same error.
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Dt 8:1–3
The distance from Egypt to Canaan via the direct route would have taken approximately ten days; however, it took the Israelites forty years to finally arrive in Canaan. The reason God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness was to humble and test them in order to know what was in their hearts, whether or not they would keep His commands. During this process, the Israelites became constantly entangled in their current circumstances and blamed one another. They stirred up discord and dissension among themselves, which led them to grumble against God.
What kind of mindset did God want the Israelites to have during their desert journey? God wanted them to fully realize His presence and follow His word with obedience, in order for them to quickly enter the land of Canaan and receive His blessings. Unfortunately, they did not realize that God leads and controls absolutely everything. It took them forty years to understand this simple but definite fact.
All these things happened to them as examples for us, and they were written down as warnings for us (1 Co 10:1–11). If we only pursue the things of this visible physical world, we will never be able to realize God. The Bible clearly testifies that the God of Heaven governs everything, rules over this world, and sets anyone He wishes over all of the kingdoms on earth. This essentially means that everything is accomplished according to God’s will. If we truly believe in God, we should regard God’s word as more precious than anything else in the world. God’s word must be the most important guidepost for determining the course of our life.
God has promised us that this gospel will be preached throughout the entire world. If we have complete faith in God Almighty and strive to follow God’s will, the gospel will be preached to all people, and the work of salvation will quickly be accomplished by God’s grace.
The eternal Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The most important thing we must do at this time is to repent. We cannot enter Heaven until we are completely changed. As God’s children, let us obediently walk the way of truth that God has commanded us to follow, serving one another humbly in love and giving glory to God. By doing so, we will be able to accomplish the gospel work as quickly as possible.