The psalmist asked, ‘When the foundations for good collapse, what can good people do?’ (v.3 NCV). Then he goes on to answer his own question: ‘The Lord sits on his throne in heaven.’ When problems and disappointments come, when illness hits a loved one, when our best efforts end in failure, when we’re blindsided by loss, the best thing we can do, before anything else, is to remember that God's still king, and He's watching over us. No detail escapes His notice. Nothing is too small for him to care about. He works according to a plan, but we don't usually understand it when we’re going through hard times. It's only when we look back that we realise His goodness and mercy have followed us every minute of our lives (see Psalm 23:6).

Joseph was imprisoned. Moses spent forty years in the desert. Daniel ended up in chains. These were dismal moments. Who could possibly have seen any good in them? Who could have known that Joseph the prisoner was only a short step away from becoming Joseph the prime minister? Who would have thought God was giving Moses forty years of wilderness training in the same desert that he would lead people through? Who would have imagined that Daniel the captive would become the king’s counsellor?

God always has a plan, and we can trust Him to make it work. He'll give us the grace we need to get through each situation. When we cry, ‘Where are You, God?’ He answers, ‘I am with you and will watch over you…I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’ (Genesis 28:15 NIV).

What Now?

The UK is going through great and sudden changes right now. As we mourn the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we also welcome a new King and a new Prime Minister. But whatever is happening, God is still sovereign Lord over all. Take some time today to pray for the nation and that God’s peace would be with each one of us.