The Sovereignty of God

From the book Speechless, written by Lisa Hoffmann (aka Alabastersky)

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. – Colossians 1:16-17

The dictionary defines sovereignty as having dominion, supreme power, and authority. We know from this passage in Colossians as well as Revelation 4:11 and many other passages that God is indeed a sovereign God. A good question to ask is how is He choosing to exercise that sovereignty?  It can be confusing, I admit. If you have ever thought to yourself “everything happens for a reason” or “nothing happens unless He allows it”, then you’re not alone.  But does this mean that God is truly the controller of everything that happens on earth? Is it a true statement to say that He is responsible for my pain, or that He is the reason why my life hasn’t turned out the way I had wanted?

For God to be sovereign does not mean He has to always demand full or complete control.

In His sovereignty, God Himself has chosen not to be in control over everything that happens on earth.

Why?

• Because He wants us to choose to love out of our own free will and has calculated the risk at the cost of His own Son
• Because out of that choice to freely love, He wants us to choose to partner with Him in what takes place on this earth
• My favorite reason why comes from author John Greco. In his book “Rediscovering Christmas” he writes, “God could have put an end to evil and sin and death with a word from his mouth. He could’ve crumpled up creation like a drawing that didn’t turn out quite right, and he could’ve started over again. But he didn’t. God, in his mercy, chose to work within this broken world. Rather than doling out instant judgement, he stayed his hand. Why? Because every human being is guilty. Every last one of us would have been destroyed.”  John 12:47 reassures us that Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save the world; and Hebrews 9:27 affirms that judgement is reserved until after death.

Trust is necessary for love to thrive. True partnership cannot occur without trust. It is important for us to comprehend that just because God is able to use trials and tribulations to our benefit does not mean that He is the one who orchestrates them. This theme is echoed throughout scripture, as evidenced by the story of Joseph. What Joseph speaks to his brothers after revealing himself to them in Egypt is key:

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”  Genesis 50:20

Did God allow what happened to Joseph? Yes, I think we can all agree on that. Did God orchestrate what happened to Joseph? Evidence says that He did not.

If we have a concept that it is God who orchestrates deliberate harm in our lives, we will never be able to trust Him fully. How could we ever choose to partner with a God who intentionally brought harm to His children? Why would we? For anyone who has read my book, “The Sifting”, this is something I had to learn when I was laying in the floor in the little apartment in South Korea, struggling to pray to God because I thought He was waiting to punish me rather than lovingly transform me.

In John 10:10, Jesus tells us how we can determine the originator of circumstances in our lives:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. – John 10:10

From this verse we know that if we are being stolen from, if our life is in danger, or if we are being destroyed in any way, then the thief, Satan, is responsible for that. What a blessing it is in turn to understand that Jesus’ ability to bless us with abundant life is much greater than the thief’s ability to steal.

God intends that we should experience the abundant life He gives us in Jesus. Psalm 68:6 tells us that only the rebellious live in parched lands.  Apart from Jesus, our soul is parched regardless of how our lives may appear otherwise. But those who abide in Him have abundant life regardless of circumstance.

As we move closer towards the end of this age you will see Satan moving faster and greater towards total control by any means possible. Understanding John 10:10 helps to embolden us to stand in faith against his evil schemes without believing the lie that the Lord brought upon us what Satan is actually responsible for instead. The amazingly beautiful thing is watching how God moves among us all to work it out for our good in the process of loving Him (Romans 8:28).