In writing the previous
blog, Does God Have a Plan for our Lives?
the idea of the Sovereignty of God kept surfacing. The more I thought about it, the more sense it
made that this is something irrefutable when it comes to how God works
regardless of any plans we may make in life.
Sovereignty generally means "supreme power or authority; supremacy
and dominion." Today, the topic of
God's Sovereignty isn't often taught or even mentioned. But I believe that without a knowledge of
this crucial aspect of God, there is a very real danger that we will not only
fail to reverence God for Who He is, but we will also be much more susceptible
to putting way too much emphasis on what we want more than what God intends for
us. This can also put us in the driver's
seat, lead to self-centered pride, and de-throne the majesty and Lordship of
our great and mighty God and Savior, Jesus Christ. It also leads to undue stress, since we may
be constantly wondering if we are making the right decisions in life. As always, we need to search Scripture to
find the balance and come to a better understanding.
God's Sovereignty works in
all things. This is true in life and in
death and all that happens in-between.
Things will change throughout our lifetime in spite of any plans,
desires and wishes we have, and we'd better be prepared to change along with
it.
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time
to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; Ecc 3:3
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to
build up; Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a
time to dance; Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather
stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; Ecc
3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; Ecc
3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to
speak; Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time
of peace.
Ecc 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the
spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and
there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that
are given to it.
And in Acts, we see that
all our times are pre-appointed and determined by God. Notice especially verse 26.
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things
therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples
made with hands; Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though
he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all
things; Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell
on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed,
and the bounds of their habitation; Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if
haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every
one of us: Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as
certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
The mighty God we believe
in and serve knows all things. But more
than this, He has pre-destined, or pre-determined, and before ordained even our
good works:
Eph 2:10 For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.
Isn't this a comforting
thought? We may look at our life and
feel we haven't done much, or our works aren't good enough, or we don't measure
up. But it is often and only through our
weaknesses and failures that God is glorified, and this is often where He
begins to use us for His purposes and His glory. When He is glorified, we know that these are
the works He is doing through us, works that were previously ordained for us to
do.
And finally, we have one
of the most encouraging passages of Scriptures in the Bible when it comes to
God's Sovereignty, foreknowledge and promises to all those that love Him:
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose. Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren. Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified. Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us,
who can be against us?
I remember when I first
read this and began to understand what it means. I had been concerned that I could never
measure up to what God wanted from me, and that I would fail as a Christian,
and become so discouraged that I'd want to give up altogether in even
trying. I began to see and believe that
for some reason, God picked me, drew me to Himself, and then made it possible
for me to live as His child, and that He would enable me to serve Him all the
days of my life. And the best part is
that it had little or nothing to do with how good or adept I was at being a
Christian. God would be able to use me
no matter how weak I was or how much or how often I had failed. I just had to be willing to let Him use
me. No matter how difficult life gets, I
hold onto the promise in verse 28, that "all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose." I can testify that this
verse has been true in my own life in every, and in all situations, no matter
how difficult or heart-breaking, or discouraging, God has never failed me, and
neither has His Word.
Sometimes when things seem
at their darkest, we may question the Sovereignty of God, and wonder if He
really does have a plan for our life.
But the trials and difficulties are when God's power is seen through us,
and He is glorified and others take notice.
2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2Co 4:8
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not
in despair; 2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not
destroyed; 2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
So when it comes to the
balance between God's Sovereignty and our plans, according to the Scriptures we
have just read, God's Sovereignty always takes precedence in every and in all
circumstances in life regardless of our plans.
May this be our prayer
today:
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Mat 6:11 Give us this day our
daily bread. Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Mat
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
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