Is God Really in Charge here??

MARK 13:1-8

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!" Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?" Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.

Lord,
you catch me
standing,
staring,
mouth open,
amazed at the grandeur
of technology,
wealth,
a wide world made small,
the accomplishments of human ingenuity.

You remind me that
it all will be thrown down.

And you give me a warning:
"Beware that no one leads you astray..."
There will be false prophets;
there will be wars and threats of war;
nations will rise up again other nations;
there will be earthquakes and famines...

You tell me all this will happen,
and in the midst of it all,
you say to me:
"Do not be alarmed;
this must take place..."

Your words are a reminder
that even in all of this chaos,
even in all of this warring madness,
even in all of this sickness unto death,
in spite of all the evidence to the contrary:
You, O Lord, are in charge.

You are still, Lord of ALL.
So today
in the midst of loneliness,
in the midst of pain,
in the midst of illness,
in the midst of death,
in the midst of political debates,
in the midst of wrangling of words,
in the midst of wringing of hands,
in the midst of the grandeur
of technology, wealth, a wide world made small,
the accomplishments of human ingenuity
You, O Lord, are in charge.

Your purposes cannot be stopped.
Your love WILL continue to reach out
to the ends of the earth.
This is just the beginning
of what you are doing!

Today, Lord,
I stand in the confidence
that YOU ARE IN CHARGE.
I am glad I am not.
Help me do what I can
to extend your love
among my circle of influence
and beyond.
Amen.