I hope its not a sign of impending old age but the world really does seem to be in a bit of a mess at the moment. And I mean more than it usually is (if that’s possible I hear you say). A smiling Mrs. May returned from Brussels but her fractious party seems to be doing everything it can to undermine her authority again. Jerusalem and the need for a peace settlement in the Middle East are headline news again, with Mr. Trump trying to square circles by siding with Israel whilst claiming he can act as an honest broker at the same time. And if that were not enough, then there’s the ongoing tragedy in the Yemen not to mention the horrors of Myanmar. Not much peace on earth and goodwill around at the moment then.

Given all this, I have to admit it would be very easy to conclude everything is simply out of control and that history is going nowhere. But I refuse to accept that pessimistic conclusion given what I know of the first Christmas. Let me explain.

I reckon it’s nothing short of remarkable that an ordinary farmer was able predict the birthplace of Jesus some six hundred years before it actually happened. I can put things in my diary, but to be honest I have no way of predicting where I will be in two weeks time let alone six hundred years from now.

So how was the prophet Micah able to do this? I would suggest for two very good reasons. To begin with, God can predict the future. He has supernatural foresight and sometimes gives us glimpse of what is going to happen. But just as importantly He can ensure history always follows His timetable. And I don’t just mean Jewish history; I am talking about world history in general. If you want proof of that, just remember how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem.

Mary and Joseph ended up in that small town some six miles south of Jerusalem because the Roman Emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. I find that fact staggering. Augustus had no idea he was playing a crucial role in God’s amazing drama. He simply wanted to maximise his tax revenues. In other words, it was his decision, but it was God who prompted him to do it.

Is it any wonder then that the apostle Paul suggested God oversees history in the way that a reliable steward would supervise his master’s accounts? To put it another way, God has an agenda, and because He is God we can be sure everything will go ‘according to plan.’

It’s not always easy to believe that of course. Lots of things can tempt us to doubt. But we don’t have to take leave of our senses when we decide to believe. We simply have to take a look at what God has done in the past and decide to trust Him for the future.

I have never met anyone more willing to do that than my friends Ladislav and Melanija Ruzicka. Less than a year after they moved to their church in Karlovac, Croatia, they found themselves ministering in the middle of a battlefield. And despite the very real personal dangers, they stayed there. They did this because they were convinced that God had known all along that war would break out not long after their arrival and so He obviously thought they were the right people for the job. And all that followed only went to show that they didn’t get it wrong. For nothing shook their resolve and they won the respect of countless people because of the way they selflessly cared for the people of their battle ravaged town.

Is it any wonder then that I am tempted to smile when people tell me that faith is only for wimps?

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]