April 22 - Reading 20: Psalms 67-68

“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands;”

(Psalm 68:17)

Our inclination is to think of God as just an observer of the affairs of men. We may feel it is all up to us to straighten out this mess in our world today. But David reminds us of the truth. Our God is in charge, and He can be trusted to provide for those looking to Him.

Our Almighty God “rides on the clouds, on the heaven of heavens”; He gives the word and “kings of armies flee”; He scatters “the people’s who delight in war.” David puts the exclamation point on this topic by saying “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands” (Psalm 68:4, 11-12, 17, 30, 33).

The “chariots of God: image reminds us of Elisha and his fearful servant when surrounded by a massive Syrian army, as recounted for us in 2 Kings 6:16-17. Elisha tells his servant “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha asks God to open the servant’s eyes so he can see the army of God: “The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” God protected them far better than man ever could.

Accounts of God’s miraculous protection are not limited to the Bible. One of the more recent examples is the testimony of Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady, who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995. Enemy soldiers saw him parachute to the ground and walked right by him twenty minutes later. Even though it was broad daylight, they did not see him. He gives God all the glory for supernaturally protecting him.

Let’s remind ourselves again of the truth: our God remains firmly in control, even when it may not look that way to our earthly eyes. Nothing and no one can thwart His plans. Not even a sparrow falls without His knowledge (Matthew 10:29), so we need not fear. No matter what our circumstances may be, our Heavenly Father knows and will care for us.