God Is Sovereign: Part II
Today we’re continuing our devotions of hope. You can look for these on our GracePoint facebook page each Tuesday and Thursday. We want to remind you that God loves you, God cares for you, and God has not forgotten you.
Tuesday, we talked about God’s sovereignty, that God is in control even when the world around you seems to be out of control. We considered what the Bible says about this: that God is sovereign over the entire universe, over all the events of history, and over your life.
But is God exercising his sovereignty now? In his biography The Wright Brothers, author David McCollough provides an amusing anecdote of a titled royal who has yet to demonstrate any meaningful contribution. McCollough writes, “Observing a young British Lord assisting with the preparation for one of Wilbur Wright’s flights in France in 1909, the publisher of the London Daily Mail remarked, ‘I’m so glad that young man helped with the rope, for I’m sure it is the only useful thing he has ever done in his life.’”
You may wonder, if God is in control, why don’t I see any evidence of it? Where is he now? That’s not a new question. It was asked by the writer of Psalm 10 (“Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble?”) and Psalm 13 (“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?”) and by the prophet Habakkuk (“How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence, and you do not save?”)
These are honest cries from God’s people in the midst of distress. But notice the foundation of their pleas. They know that God is in control, they trust that He is able to act, and expect that He will do something. They have faith in the God who is sovereign in the midst of their troubles and uncertainties.
Today, let’s look at four qualities of God’s sovereignty that can increase our faith, and give us assurance that He is neither ignorant, nor unable, nor inactive during times of distress.
1. God is always sovereign. From eternity past, from before the first moment of creation, God has always been in control. He never steps away from his throne. He does not sleep; he is constantly watching over his worshippers (Psalm 121:3-4). He does not waver in his ways or his will, working to keep promises made before creation and spoken through writers of the Bible of real hope beyond our present troubles (2 Corinthians 1:20; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 10:23; 2 Peter 3:13).
2. God is actively sovereign. He did not simply set events in motion; the Bible testifies over and over of God’s active presence in nature, history, and human lives. Psalm 103 is a wonderful testimony of God’s activities throughout all the generations of humanity as the king who “has established his throne in heaven” as “his kingdom extends over everything.”
3. God is perfectly sovereign. James 1:17 reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Despite how wrong things may seem – and such is the reality of the effects of sin in the world – God is perfectly sovereign.
1 Peter 1:5-7 tells you, Christian, that “You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials, so that the proven character of your faith – more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Christ.”
4. God is powerfully sovereign. He has no equals, no competition. His wisdom is not checked by unknown obstacles or new discoveries. He is completely able to reign. He has no competition. (Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 51:15-19).
It’s true that we cannot know the particular “whys” or “hows” of God’s sovereign control of the current events. We have a very finite view of world events and personal setbacks . . . and cannot see what God is actively, perfectly, and powerfully doing. But we can have faith that God wills, acts, and rules according to His unchanging character, His perfect will, and His immeasurable and incomparable power.
Christian, I hope you rest today knowing that God is actively reigning over every moment. I hope you sleep tonight without anxiety, believing the God is constantly watching over all things. I hope you wake tomorrow confident in the promised hope of the God who is sovereign to fulfill it.
Meditate on these encouraging verses from 2 Corinthians 1: “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
No, as Paul wrote in Romans 15:13, "may the God of hope fill you with all joy that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Tuesday, we talked about God’s sovereignty, that God is in control even when the world around you seems to be out of control. We considered what the Bible says about this: that God is sovereign over the entire universe, over all the events of history, and over your life.
But is God exercising his sovereignty now? In his biography The Wright Brothers, author David McCollough provides an amusing anecdote of a titled royal who has yet to demonstrate any meaningful contribution. McCollough writes, “Observing a young British Lord assisting with the preparation for one of Wilbur Wright’s flights in France in 1909, the publisher of the London Daily Mail remarked, ‘I’m so glad that young man helped with the rope, for I’m sure it is the only useful thing he has ever done in his life.’”
You may wonder, if God is in control, why don’t I see any evidence of it? Where is he now? That’s not a new question. It was asked by the writer of Psalm 10 (“Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble?”) and Psalm 13 (“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?”) and by the prophet Habakkuk (“How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence, and you do not save?”)
These are honest cries from God’s people in the midst of distress. But notice the foundation of their pleas. They know that God is in control, they trust that He is able to act, and expect that He will do something. They have faith in the God who is sovereign in the midst of their troubles and uncertainties.
Today, let’s look at four qualities of God’s sovereignty that can increase our faith, and give us assurance that He is neither ignorant, nor unable, nor inactive during times of distress.
1. God is always sovereign. From eternity past, from before the first moment of creation, God has always been in control. He never steps away from his throne. He does not sleep; he is constantly watching over his worshippers (Psalm 121:3-4). He does not waver in his ways or his will, working to keep promises made before creation and spoken through writers of the Bible of real hope beyond our present troubles (2 Corinthians 1:20; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 10:23; 2 Peter 3:13).
2. God is actively sovereign. He did not simply set events in motion; the Bible testifies over and over of God’s active presence in nature, history, and human lives. Psalm 103 is a wonderful testimony of God’s activities throughout all the generations of humanity as the king who “has established his throne in heaven” as “his kingdom extends over everything.”
3. God is perfectly sovereign. James 1:17 reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Despite how wrong things may seem – and such is the reality of the effects of sin in the world – God is perfectly sovereign.
1 Peter 1:5-7 tells you, Christian, that “You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials, so that the proven character of your faith – more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Christ.”
4. God is powerfully sovereign. He has no equals, no competition. His wisdom is not checked by unknown obstacles or new discoveries. He is completely able to reign. He has no competition. (Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 51:15-19).
It’s true that we cannot know the particular “whys” or “hows” of God’s sovereign control of the current events. We have a very finite view of world events and personal setbacks . . . and cannot see what God is actively, perfectly, and powerfully doing. But we can have faith that God wills, acts, and rules according to His unchanging character, His perfect will, and His immeasurable and incomparable power.
Christian, I hope you rest today knowing that God is actively reigning over every moment. I hope you sleep tonight without anxiety, believing the God is constantly watching over all things. I hope you wake tomorrow confident in the promised hope of the God who is sovereign to fulfill it.
Meditate on these encouraging verses from 2 Corinthians 1: “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
No, as Paul wrote in Romans 15:13, "may the God of hope fill you with all joy that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Dr. Gary Cook
Gary serves GracePoint Church as a Pastor-Elder under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Along with the other Pastor-Elders, he shepherds the congregation and leads the church towards a biblical vision.
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