Did you know that about 99.9% of the DNA of every person on the planet is the same? It’s the 0.1% that makes us unique. And were you aware that every individual has a unique tongue print? Like fingerprints, your tongue print can be used to identify you. Did you also know that unlike all the other planets, Earth has just the right combination of materials to sustain human, plant and animal life? Of course, you did!
To me, facts like these confirm what the Christian worldview affirms: Namely, that life is not a random series of events. Rather, our universe is created, intelligently and purposefully by a Designer. The Bible teaches that God is the Creator of our universe and everything that it consists of (Acts 17:24-25). God’s ability to speak the world into existence highlights His omnipotence. (Ps. 33:6-9, Heb. 11:3). Although creation has God’s fingerprints all over it (Rom. 1:20), humans are the only part of His creation in which He made in His own image (Gen. 1:27). This gives innate value to human beings and assumes the authority of their maker.
The relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. It is plain from Scripture that both are real and important. However, we come to realize that God’s sovereignty does not exclude but engages human responsibility. In fact, it is by God’s sovereignty that humans are granted responsibility, and are given freedom and significance in their choices and actions. This ordains an important role for humans within God’s plan for history. So, even though God is sovereign, our human obedience is of the utmost importance. But ultimately, God “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11).
God is in control.
As Christians, we come to learn sooner or later that our God is a sovereign God (Job 42:2, Prov. 16:33, Matt. 10:29-31, Col. 1:16-17, and many others). God, as creator of the universe, has the power, ability and right to rule his creation however he sees fit. The God of eternity past, present and future is not surprised by anything that happens in the world – after all, He created everything! For example, Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden (Gen. 3) was not a surprise to God. He did not think to Himself, “well they messed up plan A so now I have to come up with plan B.” He knew all along. Even the relationship between Jacob and Esau before they were born (Rom. 9:10-26) is a demonstration of God’s sovereignty through his ability to foreordain as he chooses.
Over the years, I have had some thought-provoking conversations that have led me to pursue a deeper understanding – mostly through prayer and learning – about this attribute of God. In one instance, I was having a conversation with a person when I alluded to my belief that God is in control of every single thing in this world. They then said, “Well if he is in control of EVERYTHING, then why did he allow my father to die?” They continued, “I asked him to save him, but I guess he was not able to.” I have a sympathetic heart towards questions like these because I had to wrestle with them myself, especially when my father died unexpectedly. Questions like these are part of some of the common objections I hear about belief in a God who controls it all, and can be stumbling blocks for people to believe in the biblical portrayal of a sovereign God. I can understand this. But being mindful of the various intellectual and emotional obstacles that hinder people from believing in an all-good and all-powerful God is essential if we desire to point people to the truth of who He is. I have heard it said that we should try not to let our experiences interpret the Bible for us. Rather, we should let the Bible inform us about our experiences. Oftentimes, we get it backwards and this usually leads to our disappointment and doubt about the love of God. The biblical truth is that God is sovereign over who lives or dies, and how they live or die (Job 1:21, James 4:15). The Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way about the providence of God:
“[It is] the almighty and ever present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty— all things, in fact,
come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand….
We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.” (Q & A: #27 and #28)
A Sovereign and Good God
The Bible repeatedly informs us about the goodness of God (Psalm 34:8, Psalm 145:9, Nahum 1:7, Matt. 7:11, and many others.). If God is good but He is not sovereign then that means we can have no comfort at all. This will imply that He might intend the very best for us but if He cannot pull it off, that’s no comfort. Goodness without sovereignty is no help at all. In the same breadth, the sovereignty of God without His goodness is terrifying to us. If He is not good, then His sovereignty is a terror to us. And if He’s not sovereign, then His goodness is of no help to us. It is important to the Christian worldview that God directs all things AND embodies all that is good. In fact, He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). To trust in God’s providence is to believe that every delay, detour, and difficulty is part of the perfect story God is writing for His people.
Joni Eareckson Tada, a faithful believer who is bound to her wheelchair due to a life-altering accident once said, “It can be difficult to trust in God’s sovereignty when we can’t see the purpose of our pain. But we rest in the fact that he is a good and perfect God, and even our hardships are for his glory and our good. We seek to respond to trials like Job—by saying, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21).” What an encouragement from Joni about walking through trials and still trusting in the sovereignty of God. Even in life’s darkest moments, God’s providence shines as the assurance that nothing happens outside of His wise and holy will. That no suffering is wasted, no hardship is meaningless. God is not distant or indifferent; He is actively working through every circumstance to bring about His good and perfect will, just as the Bible reveals in the lives of Joseph, the Apostle Paul and many others. Even the most difficult seasons are under His sovereign care. For those in Christ, every event serves a higher purpose: to glorify God and conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:28-29).
For some people, the sovereignty of God can be a frightening thing. But friends, I want you to be encouraged that if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, this should bring you comfort and peace. The God who created the universe, who knows the number of hairs on your head, who is in control of all things, is for you and not against you (Rom. 8:30-32). You are held securely in His hand, and anything that happens to you (good or bad) must go through His fatherly hand. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:8). Instead, He strengthens you, helps you, and sustains you (Isa. 41:10, 13). Lord willing, as we go through this life (especially in trials), may we trust in God’s divine providence and find this quote from Charles Spurgeon to be true for us: “The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.” Amen!
Drink from The Well 
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