God Is in Control

Recently, I had a conversation with a dear friend I’ve known for over 30 years. We both admitted to carrying a fear of uncertainty.

Back in our university days, we were engineering students—trained to think in systems and logic. We wanted every algorithm to be clear, every if-then-else condition neatly defined, and every output precisely planned.

That mindset instantly reminded me of Ecclesiastes. Instead of offering a formula to eliminate fear, the author presents a sobering truth: uncertainty is the nature of life.

“Vanity, O vanity,” he laments, exposing the futility of trying to control everything. Our efforts to master life’s outcomes often end up wasted.

Ecclesiastes doesn’t promise certainty or predictability. In fact, it highlights the randomness of events. But it does offer a solution, as described in this verse,

“After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives—both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it—accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18–20, MSG)

Kahlil Gibran captured this beautifully in his poem about worrying over the future:

“And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the over-prudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? And what is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?”

Friends, in short: God is in charge—not us. What seems random to us is not random to Him. He knows exactly what He’s doing. “Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked? … Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future,” says the Teacher in Ecclesiastes.

The key is to trust that God is in control. We may live under the illusion that we’re in charge, but that’s all it is—an illusion. God is sovereign. We don’t need to worry.

Whether the things you fear happen or not—does it really matter? As long as God is with you.

He is enough, even in the midst of fear. Even when your faith feels small.

I once saw a clip of Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber giving a message to six babies she had just baptized. She said:

“Fear not—not because the world is safe, but because the Kingdom is already yours.”

I’ve learned this along the way, and I am still learning.

There was a time I asked God for something very specific—down to the exact date—in desperation. And He granted it. Even when I tried to manipulate the timing, He humorously twisted the outcome to leave His unmistakable fingerprints.

But in many, if not most cases, He doesn’t reveal the certainties I crave. Instead, He simply embraces me. And I can feel it—as if He’s saying, “I Myself am the solution,” or “I am with you.” He doesn’t show me the future like a crystal ball. He shows me Himself.

That’s the spirit of Ecclesiastes. It laments life’s uncertainties and randomness, but subtly invites us to trade our desire for control for the joy of God’s presence in the present—as a present.

One thing we can be sure of: God will walk ahead of us.