What are you worried about right now?Job? Family? Money? Health? The elec—no, we’re not going there.

I bet there’s something on your mind. There’s a lot to stress about in life, and if we lose sight of the big picture, it’s easy to freak out.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. After all, Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians from a jail cell while facing potential execution. You think you have stress! But Paul didn’t freak out because he knew God was in charge.

In Ephesians 3:1–13, Paul digresses from his line of thought to talk about his calling as “apostle to the Gentiles.” This calling cost him dearly. He was reviled, arrested, beaten, jailed, and left for dead. By the time he wrote Ephesians, he had spent at least two years in jail for welcoming the Gentiles, and he could hear the sound of the headsman sharpening his axe in case it was needed.

But he wasn’t fazed. Paul saw the big picture—that God was at work in the church and that the stakes were cosmic. Knowing this helped him face hardship with courage.

Now, a lot has changed since Paul’s day. Most of us aren’t suffering the way he was. However, like Paul, understanding God’s big picture plan for the world can help us get through the stressors we do encounter. When we realize God is in control, we can face anything.

Join us this week as we look at the “big picture” of what God is doing in history and learn to trust in his plan. See you on Sunday!