“The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” Psalm 103:19
I’ve been thinking about the sovereignty of God lately. That certainly doesn’t make me super-spiritual by any stretch of the imagaination- it just makes me ponderous. And sometimes it’s good to ponder God.
What do you think of when you see the word “sovereign”?
I’ll be honest, this is kind of the image that comes to my mind:
Kingly, a ruler, incredibly powerful, preferably with a lovely crown. And maybe a beard.
The dictionary definition of sovereign is: “One that exercises supreme, permanent authority”, but in truth that’s an awfully lame description of God’s sovereignty. Where to begin…
*Psalm 22:28 “For dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations”
*Colossians 1:16 “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.”
God is in complete control, He has no limitation, and nothing takes Him by surprise. I don’t know about you, but I take immense comfort in these truths and cling to them for dear life.
I love that God OWNS time. Yes, we are governed by it to a certain extent, particularly in the western world, but God’s timing is perfect. Always.
I thought of this a couple of weeks ago whilst in the U.K. at my grandmother’s funeral. As I stood at the graveside, I marvelled at the fact that God had timed even this sad yet jubilant celebration of life to perfection. My daughter had booked her flight to be in England at this time several MONTHS previously, and would ordinarily not have been able to attend the funeral. Also, my cousin and his family were set to emigrate later that week- another few days and they would have missed the special closeness we all experienced. God’s plans are so much better than our own, even when we don’t particularly appreciate them at the time…
If we look back at mini-miracles that weave through our lives, we see the sovereign Lord at work. When I can’t explain the why’s and wherefore’s, I trust my feeble faith in a mighty God to carry me through. And He does.
Ultimately, once we accept and appreciate even a fraction of God’s sovereignty, all we can do is PRAISE Him. Bow down and be in awe that the One who is all-powerful and in supreme control chooses to reveal Himself to us mere mortals. Drink in these words:
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103: 11-14)
Oh, how He loves us.
I’ll leave you with this wonderful old hymn, and know that sovereign God will do the rest…
“Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.”
