Monday - A Dose of Daily Inspiration

"Daddy, Why are You in Charge?"Romans 13:1
Almost every day and sometimes several times a day, my beautiful little princess, Grace Marie, asks me, "Daddy, why are you in charge? Why is Mommy in charge? Why is God in charge?"
I'm not sure how many five-year-old kids ask that question. But ours does and so everyday is a lesson in submission and obedience for Grace. Lately she's been learning that lesson the easy way, which is to just submit and obey. But often she learns the hard way, which is to rebel and face the consequences.
But her question is a question we often ask, don't we? We may not say it out loud, but inside we're stirring with the notion, "God why are you in charge?"
More importantly we wonder, Why can't I be in charge? We think we know better. We think our plans make more sense. We think we know what will make us ultimately happy.
But we don't.
Daddies and Mommies are in charge of five-year-old princesses because five-year-old princesses, left their own devices, get into lots of trouble. They coat the nursery with Desitin at church. They eat too many packages of Fruit Snacks. They hit their brothers repeatedly with pillows for fun.
And so it is with us. Left to our own devices we wander into trouble. The prophet Isaiah said that we're like sheep, prone to go astray, turning to our own sinful paths.
God is in charge, because God is sovereign. God is just. God is, well, He's God and we're not.
Be glad for that. Be glad your Heavenly Father watches out for you. Don't chafe at his instruction, obey it and enjoy peace with him.
I like what the hymnwriter said, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, Lord take and seal it. Seal it for they courts above."
Daniel Darling is an author and pastor with a passion for young people. He is the author of Teen People of the Bible, a 100-day devotional for teens. Visit him on Facebook by clicking here, or at danieldarling.com.