As we wrap up this eventful year of 2020, God’s sovereignty should be especially important in our faith lives. If you’ve been around churches or Christians for a while, you’ve probably heard that God is sovereign, maybe even in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. But what does that really mean, and how should God’s sovereignty affect our lives?
Most simply, the word sovereign itself means supreme power or authority. The word itself originates from the late 13th or early 14th centuries in Latin, then was used in Old French, and then in English. Sovereign is often associated with the highest ruler or leader.
Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ believe that the God of the Bible is the only true God, so He is, therefore, the supreme God of the universe. He is the highest ruler of the entire creation. Scripture makes it clear that there is no one greater than our God.
“No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you” (Jeremiah 10:6-7).
“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).
“Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God” (Psalm 86:8-10).
Jesus, being fully God, is also sovereign: “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4).
That’s all fine and good, but how does that matter for our daily lives living in this world? We have the opportunity to serve the supreme authority of the universe. In our sinfulness, we often think that we humans are the ones who should be worshiped - and we often apply that to ourselves, that we’re worthy of praise. But the truth is, God is the only one who is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11). We have fellow humans in authority over us while on this earth simply to maintain order, but the truth is that all people are sinful, just like us. Sinful people are not worthy of our worship; the one true God is. We should not desire to serve those who are sinful like us but to serve the one holy and perfect God of the universe - the supreme authority over everything. Everything.
The next aspect of God’s sovereignty for our lives is one of obedience and trust. Do you know every single thing that is happening everywhere in the world right now? How about everything that has ever happened or will ever happen to all people and in all times and places? God does. He knows everyone. He knows every detail - thoughts, words, and actions - about every single person who has ever or will ever live. Would you rather trust someone who only knows a tiny fragment of maybe a few people’s lives, or would you rather trust God who knows everything? God, being all-knowing and all-present, can fully be trusted. We are called to be obedient to Him and trust in Him because He has proven over and over again that He is worthy of our trust. Read any story in the Bible and see how God handled it perfectly, while the humans in it messed things up because they didn’t have the full picture of what was going on. We’re just like that, so we can and should trust in God and be obedient to Him because of His sovereignty.
Finally, God’s sovereignty should give us immense comfort and peace. This world is scary, there’s no doubt about that. Lots of bad things can happen to us in this world because of the sinfulness of ourselves and our fellow humans. But nothing - and I mean NOTHING - should truly scare us when we know that God is sovereign. While He does not control us, He has this entire world in His hand and under His control. Yes, very bad things can and likely will happen to each of us. But God is bigger and more powerful than anything that this world can give us. Covid-19 seems to have taken over our whole world and many people are living in great fear of it, but God is still bigger. Our loved ones, or even we ourselves, may get Covid-19 or cancer or any number of other ailments, but does that mean God is no longer in control? Definitely not! When bad things happen to us, that gives God the opportunity to show His sovereignty in our lives. We should take comfort in the fact that God is still God no matter what is happening on this earth, and He still loves His creation more than our minds can comprehend.
God’s sovereignty allows us to serve the almighty and powerful ruler of the universe and give Him the glory that He is due. We can trust Him and live our lives in obedience to Him because He is worthy of our trust. We can have comfort and peace knowing that God is always in control and His loving plans for us will be fulfilled.
How have you seen God’s sovereignty play out in 2020? How can you better serve, trust, and be comforted by Him in 2021?
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1 comments:
Great post. I especially like how you remind us that with all the terrible things happening in the world, God is still in control! Nothing is more powerful than God!
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