Several times in Psalm 37, King David comforts us with these words: "Do not fret because of evil men" (v. 1), "Do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes" (v. 7), and "Evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land" (v. 9).

We know that God is in control, but it's easy to fret and get worked up when it seems that evil is sweeping across the land.

There are at least two things in play here. We know that evil exists in the world. The devil is the "prince of this world," according to Jesus' words in John 12:31. The devil, with his multitudes of demons, wreaks havoc continually in the world.

Another force in the world is the direct hand of God in judgment because His people are not walking in His ways. After King Solomon's prayer, plea for mercy, and dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, God spoke to him and said, "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people . . ." (2 Chronicles 7:13). The implication in this passage is clear that Almighty God Himself, the LORD of heaven and earth, can and will be the One who sends destruction.

A drought can be the physical lack of rain, but it can also be a spiritual drought from the presence of God. Locusts and plagues can take many forms. Locusts consume things and strip things bare. We have seen a mighty economic machine consumed, and all wonder what happened to it.

Either way, whether it is the direct hand of God against a society or the devil and his legions operating within the parameters given them by the LORD God Almighty, we must hold to our faith that God is in control.

Proverbs 21:1 declares, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." When you see the leaders of the world sitting down at a table for a discussion, there is one thing you can be sure of: God holds the hearts of each of those men and women in His hand, and He is directing the course of this world.

We don't have to stand idly by and feel helpless in all of this. God told King Solomon that God's people could move the heart of God to reverse the effects of the drought, the locusts, and the plague spoken of in 2 Chronicles 7:13. He said, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (v. 14).

Not only is God in control and will bring all things to the point of bringing glory to Himself, He has also opened the door for His people to be instrumental in determining the course of their society. The actions of God's people in humility, confession, and repentance will move God against the forces of evil and, as a result, righteousness can triumph.

God is in control, but He is waiting for us to wake up and obey Him.

The heart of the king is in God's hand. God will move the heart of the king however He wants to.

We need to be sure that, as God's people, we have given Him sufficient reason to move on our behalf for good.