I stood at the airport desk, my heart pounding in fear as the security agent rooted through my suitcase. A friend had asked me to bring some Bibles in the local language. That was not illegal, but I suddenly remembered other friends, jailed for sharing their faith even though it was legal to do so. The authorities could toss me in jail because they wanted a bribe or because they didn’t like the way I looked. I felt completely vulnerable in their hands.

At any given moment, we like to think we are in control of our lives. We think there is security in the support that pays our bills, the loved ones who affirm our value, the schedule we set for our days. In reality, it’s Job’s lot. Our ministry, loved ones, and calendars can be swept away in a blink. We are never in control. Never. When nature goes awry we call it an “act of God” as if it’s not an act of God when the weather is fine. When life goes awry we claim that “we are in God’s hands now” as if we weren’t in God’s hands all along.

If I strive for security, I will always need a little more padding in my savings account, a few more groceries in the larder, one more layer of bubble wrap around my life and loved ones to be sure nothing breaks. But trying to keep everything in my life safe is not security; it’s simply an attempt to wrest control from the One who best knows what I need.

Standing in that airport, I was no more vulnerable than sitting at my desk. Whether the authorities threw me in jail or (as happened) let me go without even a scolding, I was always securely in God’s grip—as were my friends who were imprisoned for their witness. The challenge is to remember that God is in control, no matter what—even if He holds out Job’s lot for me to take. Whether in joy or suffering, I am safe because I am in God’s hands.