THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

One definition of ‘sovereignty’ I read was, “The Biblical concept of God’s kingly, supreme rule and legal authority over the entire universe.” That works for me! As I read passages such as Daniel 4:35, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’” Or, II Chronicles 20:6, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You.” I see God doing as He might please, and not asking for my opinion. Further, David tells us in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Based upon this, it’s my assumption that if the Lord made the earth, if He created man, if He has authority over life and death, and He is the supreme Person that makes Him God, He can do as He chooses.

That makes us a bit uncomfortable. We don’t like losing control and the thought of God having absolute power over our lives is unsettling. I think this may be, in part, why some would choose to say, ‘there is no God.’ If they acknowledge Him, they must also acknowledge His authority over their lives.

Recently I went to visit a friend and colleague of mine going through some very difficult times. Cancer has taken its toll. He held the service for his mother’s funeral just before going in for surgery. The surgery was severe enough but healing has not come as hoped. For several months he has not been able to take food by mouth. As anyone can imagine, he has lost a considerable amount of weight and is weakened by all of this. Just when you wonder how one handles all this, he and his wife receive the news that she also has cancer. Please pray for him, pray for his wife and their teenage son.

It may have been a little personal, but in my visit with him I asked him how something like this affected one’s faith.

I have physical problems that I have been facing for several years, yet my own concerns pale in comparison. So I asked, not sure how I could handle such trials. He said something like this: “this has been a real lesson in the sovereignty of God. We may think we live and move about as we please, but in reality we haven’t a clue.” He shared that he quite literally can do nothing apart from the grace of God. Even reading is short-term, for his mind cannot concentrate for long periods. Christ said, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” How literally do we take that statement? For all that he and his wife are facing, he said this. “I keep coming back to that which I know to be true. God is love, God is good.”

We do not know what future plans God has for us. In His sovereign will He may ask us to carry burdens that seem impossible to bear. But, be assured of this, God never acts apart from His love and goodness.