These past couple of weeks I have been reflecting on God’s sovereignty in a more personal way. God’s sovereignty is his control over all things pertaining to life in the universe. It is intrinsically connected to his character. The writer of Chronicles puts it this way, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). Unpacking the various aspects of God’s sovereignty is beyond the scope of this blog article, and it would take several pages to even do it justice. What I want to ponder here are the following 2 questions: What does God sovereignty have to do with me? What difference should it make in my life? 

What does God sovereignty have to do with me? 

To give you a cliché answer (very “sovereignly” like) = everything! God’s sovereignty not only sustains all life, including mine and yours, but it is also the determinative factor of how his will plays out in our past, present, and future. It is determinative in our past because God was present then, preventing things from happening to us, protecting, and guiding us even when we didn’t know at the time what he was up to. Regardless of how things unfolded in our past he was sovereign over it all. And we would be wise to remember it! Isaiah 46:9-10 reminds us, “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” God is God and we are not. There is none like him, and in the end, his purposes are accomplished regardless of the decisions we made, make, or will make. 

But trusting is God’s sovereignty does not come to us naturally. Often times we think we know what is best for us. We make decisions, come to conclusions, and begin making plans prematurely because we think we know what is best for us. Sometimes, God looks at our plans favorably, but at other times we get a “no.” Admittedly, the “no” does not feel good. Furthermore, I think where it hurts the most is when we plan for things that are seemingly good like a new job, or going on a mission trip, or pursuing something that will for sure bring glory to him, but he still closes the door to it. Proverbs 16:9 serves us well here, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.”

What difference should it make in my life? 

It should lead me to learn what is means to fully trust God, no matter what. Discerning God’s will for our lives in the present is a really difficult task. I have learned recently that it is not my job to discern God’s will for me in the present. Rather, my primary task is to simply trust him. It sounds simple, but having simple faith is hard for the impatient. If you are impatient, like me, trusting the Lord in the present can be a frustrating exercise. The frustration comes, mainly when we have already determined in our heart what the outcome for certain things in our lives should be. But in the end, we are disappointed because things did not turn out the way we wish they would after the fact. It is not enough to believe in God’s sovereignty, we must also translate such faith into godly living as we walk with Jesus.

The remedy is to have simple unmitigated trust in the Lord. Trust in the fact that he knows what is best for us. Trust in the fact that he is working on our behalf even if we feel otherwise. Trust in the fact that is he constantly working things out for our good (Romans 8:28). Trust in the fact that his sovereignty is perfect and that He is Lord, and we are not. I am reminded of the words of a song we recently sang in one of our church worship services, 

Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working

Even when I can’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working

Note that all the verbs in the song are in present tense. They speak of the assurance that God is constantly working on our behalf, here and now. But they also reveal the reality of God’s work for our future. God does things in the past, to protect our future. Though we cannot fully discern it in the present, he is working on our behalf to accomplish his perfect will. Not only that, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:20, “He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” workin all things for his glory. He is faithful, as the Psalmist once wrote, “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8). So before you find yourself discontent with God’s sovereignty––because life is not turning out the way you thought it would––remember He is watching over your “coming and your going.” 

Finally, I think I would be amiss not to offer you a few ideas on how to properly wrestle with God’s sovereign rule over you. First, remember. Remember that God is not just to be your Savior, but also your Lord. Therefore, when he denies you something you really want, just rest assured he is protecting, leading, and watching over you. Second, pray and fast. One of the primary ways to be in tune with God’s will for your life is to seek the Lord’s face. Christians, more often than not, forget the power of prayer and fasting. Prayer will help you find peace in the midst of chaos, and fasting will help you find clarity in the midst of confusion. Third, mourn. It is okay to mourn the loss of something you desired so badly, but God in his sovereign rule denied you the right to have it or enjoy it.  Mourning has the power to remind us that God is truly in control. It also has the power to remind us that there is hope in Christ, because he is bearer of all hope. Fourth, be around good Christian community. When life hits you hard, or when you are faced with disappointment, leaning on other believers will give you strength. The words are Ecclesiastes 4:10-12 regarding the value community are so true, “For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Finally, in the words of the author of Hebrews, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (Hebrews 13:20-21). 

Written by Daniel Messina