Dearest,
Many believers find their deepest joy and comfort in the contemplation of the love of God, but the attribute of God that I often meditate on and find rest in, is His sovereignty. Of course, we must not think of God’s attributes as compartmentalised; He is a unitary being and all His attributes are one - exercised in unity, with no contradiction between them. But I digress.
In a world where many no longer believe in a Supreme Being or a Supreme Being actively controlling the affairs of mankind, and are resigned to regarding life as an existential accident with no definite purpose or meaning—a product of fate/chance/luck—it is deeply reassuring to know that there is a God that reigns over all powers, people, things, events, a God that ordains and controls all things according to His will.
When we talk about God’s sovereignty, we are simply talking about the exercise of His supremacy. John Piper says: “When we say God is sovereign, we mean he is powerful and authoritative to the extent of being able to override all other powers and authorities.” It means He is not subject to any other being or thing. He is free to do whatever He pleases, without needing permission from any other power or authority. It means He rules and reigns over all things, directs all things and works all things according to the counsel of His will. Nothing and no one can question, challenge, hinder or stop Him from exerting His will.
Of His Sovereignty, Scripture says:
Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”
But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases - Psalm 115:2-3
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 that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure - Isaiah 46:9-10
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, “What have You done?” - Daniel 4:35
“I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” - Job 42.2
And in the New Testament, we see, in the miracles and healings done by our Lord Jesus, the exercise of divine sovereignty over death, diseases, demons, elements of nature, and so on. Jesus also teaches about God’s sovereignty thus:
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. - Matthew 10:29
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will - Luke 10:21 (ESV)
In God’s sovereignty, He ordained that Jesus would be the author of our salvation— that He would be incarnated in human flesh, die on a cross for the sins of humanity, and be raised to life again. In His Sovereignty, He chose us to be heirs of salvation, to be adopted as His children, to be justified and made righteous, to be his holy saints. And so Paul says:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will - Eph 1:3-5
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will - Eph 1:11
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30
We are beneficiaries of his mercy and grace, and have received rest by faith in the finished works of Jesus Christ, because of the exercise of God’s sovereignty.
The Lord is calling us to rest in His Sovereignty. He is still God, who sits on the throne, who reigns over all things. And He is your God - who ordains and orchestrates the events of your life, according to His perfect will. In these difficult times, rest in the truth that not a single thing happens to you by accident or sheer luck. Adverse circumstances do not mean that God has abandoned the steering wheel, leaving you to your own feeble efforts or the whims and caprices of people. No, God has ordained the circumstances of your life (both good and bad) in His sovereign wisdom, and it is for your good. Rest in the knowledge that God has great and beautiful plans for your life, and they will all come to pass. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted by the schemes of the devil, or the machinations of human beings. Even your mistakes cannot ultimately hinder God’s plans. Rest in the knowledge that only what He has purposed will stand, therefore, He quashes Satan and people’s plans against you, that are not in line with His will.
Even though the seeming intersection between God’s sovereignty and the free will He has given human beings remains a cause for debate amongst philosophers and theologians, and it’s still largely a mystery to human beings, we need not worry - we rest assured, knowing that God’s sovereignty is not akin to human tyranny. He does not simply do what he pleases, according to whims and caprices, with no regard for our highest welfare. His sovereignty is governed by his wisdom, love and mercy — unto the praise of His glory, and for our highest good.
One of the most comforting stories in the Bible is that of Joseph. Even though he faced so much adversity that would have seemed needless and senseless to any other person, he saw God’s sovereign hand. He saw God’s sovereign hand in the enmity of his brothers, in his slavery, in the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife and the consequent imprisonment, in his continued stay in prison even after the chief butler he helped failed him. Later, when Joseph became prime minister, and revealed himself to his brothers (after providing them with food during the famine), he said:
And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt - Genesis 45:5-8
I love it. So much.
Put your faith in God’s sovereignty. He is in control of your life, ordaining and directing it according to His good and perfect will. Trust that His purpose for your life will not be thwarted. Even in troubling circumstances, and when nothing seems to makes sense, know that God is working all things for your good.
And with the writer of In Christ Alone, may we joyfully say:
From life’s first cry, to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
Enjoy rest in Jesus!
With love from,
Dunnie.
P.S: Please share your insights and testimonies, and even prayer requests!