Political U turns are repeatedly given bad press. In the UK, Sir Keir Starmer has made 13 such changes of mind in his 18 months as prime minister. These took between a few weeks and over a year. American President Trump is also well-known for U turns, to the extent that he is now associated with the acronym TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out). While admitting a mistake can be honorable, many people question the integrity of leaders who keep changing their decisions and resolves about important policy.

Jesus Christ never made any U turns. This is because he never made any mistakes. He did not need to change his mind. The same is not true of the rest of us. One of the most famous and important U turns in history is that of the apostle Paul, who was originally called Saul. This important Jewish religious leader was initially intent on eradicating Christianity.

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2).

This was after he had consented to the murder of the first Christian martyr, Stephen (Acts 7). But on the way to Damascus Saul saw the risen Jesus, believed, was baptized, and became one of the most significant preachers of Christianity. A complete U turn (Acts 9:20-22).

The biblical word ‘repentance’ effectively means a ‘U turn’. Jesus and the apostles told people that if they wanted to please God they must ‘repent’.

Jesus preached:
…the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15).

After a local disaster, he said strong words:
…I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).

The apostles repeated the message:
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts 3:19).

Repentance means admitting being wrong and then changing one’s attitude, priorities and lifestyle. We are all commanded to repent: to do a massive U turn. Left to our own thoughts and standards we are without hope. We need to accept God’s standards. And it does not matter if we are young or old; if we have spent a long or short time going in the wrong direction; or even how bad that way was. The important thing is, like Saul, to change and do a U turn.

But having done this, a subsequent U turn would be disastrous. Jesus also said:
…No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).

Having committed to following Jesus, repented and been baptized (Acts 2:38) it would be fatal to do a U turn on that decision and resolve (Hebrews 10:37-39).

Finally, we need to be immensely grateful that God does not do a U turn on His offer of eternal life.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

Whether or not they do U turns, no human leader can be trusted totally. Let us do a U turn and follow Jesus because he is utterly faithful and trustworthy.

There has been much speculation about the psychological and mental health of Presidents Putin and Trump. Both powerful and power-hungry, with very strong opinions, they seem headstrong and reluctant to take advice. These characteristics fill some people with fear.

It is not our place to assess the mental state of leaders put in place by God, because:

…the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will

Daniel 4:25

These words were spoken to the powerful Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who had to endure a period of near insanity in order to learn their truth.

Centuries before, a powerful Pharaoh refused to accept the power of God. When Moses and Aaron asked him to let the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt, he responded:

Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.

Exodus 5:2

God then sent plagues on Egypt. Through five of the ten plagues this stubborn man ‘hardened his heart’, and doggedly refused to let Israel go (Exodus 7:13, 7:14, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32). Pharoah’s magicians, who could not mimic the plagues after the first two, tried unsuccessfully to reason with the stubborn despot: “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). But Pharaoh seemed ‘crazy’.

Eventually God Himself hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to show His supreme power (Exodus 10:1).

But there was more to all of this. God had said to Pharaoh:

But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

Exodus 9:16

And after the tenth dreadful plague, Israel escaped from Egypt in the great ‘exodus’. Pharaoh was utterly powerless against God. God was in control and His purpose was fulfilled (Exodus 7:4-5).

We can be sure that God will also deliver and save those who trust in Him today. No leader, whether mad or not, can thwart the purpose of God in saving ‘His people’. So the message is clear. We need not fear any world leaders. God is greater than all of them and is even working through them to save those who trust in Him. We need to obey and serve God to the very best of our ability.

There are several powerful and influential people in the world. Global crises face us and leaders try to intervene. President Trump exerts a lot of influence, but President Putin is a force to be reckoned with. Recent peace talks about Ukraine seem to have reached stalemate. Many people are worried. Who is in control?

The simple answer is that nobody on earth is actually in control. The God of heaven is in control. But this requires some explanation.

The fact that God is in control most certainly does not mean that He orchestrates everything and that we are all puppets or robots. We have choice. Nor does it mean that He approves of everything that we do. For example, God did not control king David to commit adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11). And God was not pleased. The record simply says:

But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD

verse 27

And then the prophet Nathan described to David the enormity of what he had done, and the implications for him (2 Samuel 12:7-14).

On other occasions, however, God does prevent people from sinning. He protected Sarah, Abraham’s wife, from being seduced by Abimelech. God said to him,
…it was I who kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore I did not let you touch her (Genesis 20:6).

Even so, we can never know when we will be able to carry out our plans, let alone whether they will succeed.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand

Proverbs 19:21

Without doubt, nothing is too hard for God. He posed the rhetorical question:

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

Jeremiah 32:27

But God always does what is right: He will never go against His perfect moral standards (Deuteronomy 32:4).

He has a purpose for the earth. He has a plan of salvation for men and women who try to obey Him. And absolutely nothing can thwart Him.
…so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

To this end He controls world affairs in ways that we do not and cannot comprehend. He ensures that the rulers are who He wants.

…the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men

Daniel 4:17

By implication, He oversees major political decisions.

True, there are wicked people and awful things happen. God does not always intervene. But He is still ‘in control’. There is no opposing force like Satan or the Devil with evil power. There is no single example in the Bible where God is not in control.

The faithful will be saved. They may suffer wrong in this life, but their salvation is guaranteed. While they are not protected from all physical harm (Luke 21:12), God does protect them. Paul reassured believers in Corinth:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it .

1 Corinthians 10:13

So, we should not fear what world leaders do. We should fear and serve God. For no human being has been, or ever will be, in control. The God of heaven is in control, and our allegiance must be to Him.