Sovereignty. Confusion. Waiting. Trust. Grace.

Five words,
defining life
between the
“already”
of conversion and the
“not yet”
of our home going.
Five words.

Sovereignty
is the first and most
foundational
of the five words.
Sovereignty
is the ground of all
things.
It is the rule of
God
from eternity,
determining what has been,
what now is, and
what forever will be.
His choice rules all other
choice.
His will is the
plan
that directs the
march
of everything that is
or will be.
Sovereignty,
shaped by
wisdom,
power,
faithfulness, and
love.
Sovereignty.

***

What you truly believe about the sovereignty of God shapes how you interpret your world, directs how you live, and determines the nature of your hope and peace of heart.

What does it mean that the Bible teaches that God is sovereign? It means God is in absolute control of his world and everything that happens, with no gaps, limits, interference, or thwarting of his rule. It means God alone determines all that will happen and rules the means by which everything will happen.

This means that God never has questions, never is surprised, never is frustrated, never wonders, never is greeted with mystery, never wishes he could have, never looks back with regret, never is hoping, never is waiting, never feels helpless, has nothing he can’t figure out, and never finds himself at a loss.

No one can back God into a corner. He is never pressed to do something. There is no authority over him that he has to answer to. He does what he pleases, decides whatever he wants, and acts as he wants. To say God is sovereign is simply to say that God is God and no one is like him.

Everything in the world that is ordered and regular, like the passing of the seasons, day and night, the rise and fall of the tides, and infancy to old age, results from God’s sovereign rule over his world. He decides how his world will operate, then rules over the operations he has decided.

Likewise, everything in the world that seems disordered and chaotic to us also results from God’s sovereign rule over his world. His wisdom doesn’t always seem wise to us. What seems “best” to us is not the “best” he has ordained for us. What seems tragically out of control is under his careful and constant control. Understanding that we live in a world under God’s unshakable and unchangeable rule changes everything we think about ourselves, our world, and life itself.

Finally, the theology of God’s sovereignty always leads you to Jesus. God exercised his sovereign rule to author the most wonderful story ever written.

He ruled every situation, location, person, and family necessary for human history to march toward the coming of Jesus. He ordained patriarchal covenants, the liberation of his people from slavery, the giving of his law and its sacrificial system, the occupation of the Promised Land, the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, the preservation of the line of Judah, and the preparation of all things necessary for the coming of Jesus.

He ruled the birth in Bethlehem, the collection and commissioning of the disciples, the opposition of the Pharisees, and the compromise of Pilate, all so the Son would be the final sacrifice on the cross. He chose that borrowed tomb and that it would soon be empty. God ordained the postresurrection appearances of Jesus and his ascension to the right hand of the Father.

He ruled over the birth and spread of his church and the proclamation of the gospel to the world. He ordained and ruled over the writing and preservation of his word. He ordained the continued preaching of the gospel until it came to your ears and created belief in your heart. He ordained that your story would be embedded into the glorious story of Jesus, and he ruled over every individual and circumstance that made it happen.

His sovereignty gave the world Jesus, and his rule led you to his Son. He is Lord over the story that has given you Jesus, and that not only assured your destiny, but also guaranteed life in him and with him until then!

“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”

(Daniel 4:34-35)

A Prayer for Today: Almighty God, even when everything seems chaotic, help me remember that you are in total control of everyone, everything, everywhere, all the time. So often, Lord, my hope and peace of heart are dependent on what I define as good circumstances, but I admit that foundation will always leave me in turmoil. I need you and you alone because you are the sovereign ruler of the universe and the guarantee of my only true hope and peace of heart. Thank you that Jesus is the ultimate proof I need to lean on when life seems out of control, because if you didn’t spare him, you would spare me no good thing. Thank you for your sovereignty over my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conversation Prompts for Children

  • What does it mean to be in control? What do you think God controls in the world? In your life? Why does it matter whether or not God is in control of you and your life?
  • If we trust that God is in control of everything all the time, how can that truth help us when everything seems to be going wrong?
  • How can I help remind you of God’s love and control in your life? Let’s think of some ways together right now.
  • How do you think you can help remind me of God’s loving control in my life? Let’s think of some ways together right now.

Reflection Questions

1. If you truly believed that God’s sovereignty is shaped by his wisdom, power, faithfulness, and love, how would that impact your day-to-day life? What might look different from here on out as you embrace the nature of God’s loving sovereignty?

2. In what ways have you struggled to believe and embrace the sovereignty of God? Did something happen to you or someone you love that made you call the sovereignty of God into question? How does the crucifixion of Jesus speak directly to your legitimate struggle with believing in God’s control over all things?

3. How does understanding that we live in a world under God’s unshakable and unchangeable rule change everything we think about ourselves, our world, and life itself?

4. In what ways has God’s wisdom not initially looked like wisdom to you? What has helped you through the difficult times of trusting in his wisdom when everything in your life has seemed like chaos?

5. How do you think a true understanding of God’s sovereignty would impact how you functionally live every day?