A worldwide pandemic. Riots in our biggest cities. And buckle your seatbelts for two weeks of political conventions, putting America’s deadlocked and increasingly dysfunctional two-party federal system on full display. In times like these, it’s easy to think that God either doesn’t know what’s going on or that He doesn’t care.

Well, believe it or not, God’s people have been in much worse situations than American Christians are facing today. Take for example the situation described in today’s readings – a shrunken Judean kingdom sandwiched between Egypt and Babylon, with the great powers taking turns propping up puppet kings on the throne of David (II Chronicles 36:3-4, 10). Eventually the Babylonians won out, and when Judean King Zedekiah picked the losing side, all of his children were murdered, his own eyes were gouged out, and his capital city was destroyed. Oh, and the Temple of the Lord was also torn down (II Kings 25:7-9), which meant that God’s people were not able to conduct the ritual sacrifices necessary to cleanse them of their sins. You can’t get much lower than that.

But the writer of II Chronicles would have us learn two lessons from all this tragedy. First, he makes it clear that God was completely in control of everything that happened. Yes, Zedekiah and his people were guilty because they refused to repent of their sins (II Chronicles 36:13-14). But it was God Who allowed the Babylonians to conquer Jerusalem (II Chronicles 36:17). Indeed, God had already told Jeremiah the prophet everything that was going to take place (II Chronicles 36:21).

But we also learn that, even in the midst of the worst disasters, God remains merciful. Yes, Jehoiachin had been carried off into exile in Babylon, along with many of his court officials (II Chronicles 36:10; II Kings 24:12-16). But Jehoiachin eventually found favor in the sight of the king of Babylon, who eventually began to treat him with kindness and respect (II Kings 25:27-30). Even more importantly, when the Persians conquered the Babylonians, Cyrus allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem, and even gave them permission to rebuild the Temple of the Lord (II Chronicles 36:22-23).

So, no matter how desperate our situation may seem, let’s remember that our merciful God continues to rule and reign. Even in the midst of the greatest tragedies, we can always trust in Him.

II Chronicles 36:11-23 (NASB)

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the LORD.
13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel.
14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the LORD which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.
15 And the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;
16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy.
17 Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand.
18 And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon.
19 Then they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its fortified buildings with fire, and destroyed all its valuable articles.
20 And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,
21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia– in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah– the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!'”