“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.”
Psalm 24:1 (NASB)
This past year, 2020, was a bit of a challenge. God taught me many lessons, but the one that has been keeping my mind and heart occupied deals with His sovereignty. We say He is in control, but, when we have a year like the one we just survived, it is easy to question. Three thoughts on His sovereignty have evolved from this year of contemplation:
If God was sovereign yesterday, then He is sovereign today and will be tomorrow.
A quality of God’s we do not discuss much is His immutability, which means He does not change. Who He is is always who He will be. Therefore, if He is sovereign then He is always sovereign. He was sovereign yesterday, is today and will be tomorrow. We may not understand His actions, but we can be sure He is accomplishing His sovereign will and it will bring Him glory and honor.
I think of the man who was blind from birth. The people wanted to know if it was because of his sin or his parents’. Jesus said that it was so “the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:1-5). We can trust God is displaying His works even if we do not understand or want His works to be different. In addition, His works are better than our works and/or the works we would like to see.
If God is sovereign, what happens to our free will?
Nothing. Our free will is part of God’s sovereign will. I cannot say I understand it, but I know it is true. The fruit was the knowledge of good and evil, which means a choice. I often think of it like the parent-child relationship in the home. The parents have ultimate say, but the kids still have their little wills.
If God is sovereign, do my choices matter?
Yes, because they matter to God. Somehow, our choices fit into the fulfillment of God’s sovereign will. He has chosen to work through us (Ephesians 2:10). Again, it is a mystery that God accomplishes His will by using us. He could do it without us, but has chosen to work in and through us (John 14:12, Philippians 2:13).
What I have concluded is that God’s sovereignty gives hope, peace and certainty for our lives in the midst of change and turmoil. We can trust Him and His Word. His will will be done. He will fulfill His promises. Thus, while our feelings may be on a roller coaster ride, His sovereignty provides solid ground for our faith.
I wrote a jingle to keep me mindful of His sovereignty based on Psalm 24:1: It helps me remember that our dependence is on Him, not the world, not circumstances, not politicians, not the government, and not our own well-laid plans.
God is good, God is great, God owns all the real estate!
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