Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Have you ever wondered why God allows so much suffering, sorrow, crises, and tragedy in the world?

Counselor Cecil Osborne asked the question, "Who's running the world anyway?" and tells of a time when he was driving with an associate and shared, "On the way I was venting my grief and anger over some senseless tragedy I had just been hearing about in a counseling session. I said, 'I could design a better world than this on the back of an envelope with the stub of a pencil!' Then, for the first and only time in my life, I heard a quiet, non-judgmental inner voice, about the way I'd expect Jesus to sound, it said, 'Why don't you?' I laughed. I had my answer. We're in charge here, not God!

"God isn't running this world, we are. He turned it over to Adam (and to you and me and the rest of the human race), and said in effect, 'Take it and run it. Have dominion over it. It's all yours. I'll be available for fellowship, ready to give guidance, when you are receptive.'"

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'"¹

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to accept my responsibility as one of your servants here on earth and be a part of the plan you have for the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Genesis 1:26 (NIV).

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