If God directs it, it will happen. Understanding the Sovereignty of God

If God directs it, it will happen......

Understanding the Sovereignty of God

I believe in the Sovereignty of God.

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign which means that God possesses and exercises supreme authority and control over all His creation.

For me, that means God will carry out His plans regardless of what I think He is capable of.

God can make happen, what seems impossible to me, possible.

There are certain scenarios I think about everyday where I believe only God has the power to intervene and effectively intercede in the circumstances.

For instance, there are situations I am dealing with right now where people in my extended family at this point in time seem like they will never receive God’s offer of salvation because they are Jewish and actually find the Cross offensive.  There are friends and family members of mine who are dealing with physical illness, some to the point of daily pain and suffering. In some cases the Doctors are unable to prescribe an effective treatment or cure.

Personally, I used to think that I would never be able to overcome certain attitudes or behaviors. There are times in the past I have felt hopeless that my marriage would survive. There have been times when I was at the end of my rope.

In all these situations that I have noted above, I believe God has the power intervene and change the circumstances. I believe this because God has already intervened in my life many times and has effectively made some incredible changes in me. I have seen His power at work through the Holy Spirit who has strengthened my confidence and faith in God and His promises.

When it comes to Salvation, even though my Jewish family members have not yet received Jesus as Lord and Savior, I believe there is still hope that they will. I use my own life as an example. I received Jesus, even though I, like my family, never had the desire to do so. I believe God displayed His sovereign power and will in my circumstance and was responsible for the softening of my heart. I believe God predetermined that I would receive His free gift of salvation. 

Ephesians 1:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through 

Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Ephesians 1:11 New Living Translation

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God^, 
for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

When it comes to my old habits and behaviors, I believe the power of the Holy Spirit in my life continues to refine my character to the point where my identity is no longer defined by the old self, the person I used to be. I am now putting on the new self and continually striving to be a man of character and integrity, becoming more like Jesus, who is now my greatest example of the servant leader, the kind of leader I want to be in all areas of my life.

Other examples of God's sovereign power and will include, when my marriage was failing, I believe He reconciled it. When I was at the end of my rope and fully broken, God was able to lift me up and restore me. When I sin, God continues to forgive and extend me grace.  

Jesus confirms that God has the power to make what seems impossible, possible.

Mark 10:27 NIV
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Luke 1:37 NIV
For nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 18:27 NIV
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

So it is important if one is a follower of Jesus to believe that God has a plan and a purpose for everything that takes place in our lives and that just at the right time He will change our circumstances to fit that plan.  This means God can take a situation that we know we can’t do anything about and miraculously direct it to fulfill His purpose.  For example, some years ago my wife and I had been praying for one of our sons to go on a mission trip and that the result of His going, He would become a devoted follower of Jesus. We waited for a long time for God to answer this prayer and then out of the blue, after we surrendered this situation over to Him, my son was invited to go on a mission trip which ultimately did change his life. He now has a personal relationship with Jesus.

The question we have to face is, if God has this incredible power, why does He sometimes wait to use it? Can we as His followers be patient and trust Him while we wait for God to intervene?

We are encouraged to do so:

Psalm 27:14 New Living Translation

 Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Let’s understand this -  God works according to His plan and timing. Here again is the Ephesians verse

Ephesians 1:11 (New Living Translation)

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance,  and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Proverbs 16:9 New Living Translation 

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

What we can see throughout the Bible along with events that take place in our own lives is that God chooses the when and how He will fulfill His plan. 

I can witness to the fact that God has perfect timing based on the events and circumstances in my own life.

We can know this:

Just at the right time God will guide, provide and restore:

Isaiah 58:11 (New Living Translation)  

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.

Hosea 6:1-2 (New International Version 1984)

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces
 but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence. 

Just at the right time God will help us with the temptations we face:

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Just at the right time God will listen to my heart and speak into my situation:

 Matthew 7:7-8 (New International Version 1984)

Ask, Seek, Knock

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Just at the right time God fulfilled His plan of Salvation:

Romans 5:6 (New International Version 1984)  

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

***For me, looking back, I can say that God saved me just at the right time.

Examples of God’s Sovereignty:

God showed His sovereignty when He created the heavens and the earth.

(Read Genesis 1)

God showed His sovereignty by bringing about the Great Flood and making possible for Noah, his family and the animals to survive and repopulate the world. (Read Genesis 8 & 9)

God showed His sovereignty by making it possible for Moses and the Israelites to leave Egypt. The parting of the Red Sea, etc. (Read Exodus)

God showed His sovereignty by foretelling the events surrounding the Israelites being exiled to Babylon and then fulfilling what He foretold by the events surrounding their return home

 (Read Isaiah, 2 Chronicles 36)

God showed His sovereignty through the birth, life and death of Jesus.

Feeding the 5000, healing the sick, the Resurrection etc.

 (Read the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John)

Check out all the fulfillment of prophecy that has already occurred. That’s God’s sovereignty in action. When you look at the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, you will realize that Jesus fulfilled those prophecies to a tee. The odds are astronomical that Jesus or anyone else could have fulfilled all those prophecies that were made. Yet, Jesus did, and that again points to God’s sovereignty and supernatural power at work.

The examples above are just some we can look at and clearly see God has ultimate power over His creation. With that said, we can be assured that God has ultimate power over our lives as well, even though we have been given free will to make choices.

I will emphasize  this verse from proverbs again, which tells us about the sovereign power that God has over our lives:

Proverbs 16:9 (New International Version 1984)

 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

God has power because He is truly the Lord over all things, everything belongs to Him.

Psalm 24:1 NLT

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

 

An understanding of God’s sovereignty is explained in the book of Ephesians:

Excerpts from Ephesians 1:4-14 (New International Version 1984)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 

The Bible tells us that God has a plan for those He chooses to save. The difficult question is, does God choose to save some but pass over others? Actually, a better question we should be asking is, why does God elect anyone to be saved? Why does God show us any mercy at all?

The Bible teaches, from beginning to end, that God does what pleases Him. He can create something out of nothing. He can give, and He can take away. He is able to part the Red Sea and flood the entire Earth. He can save Daniel from the Lions Den. He can heal the sick.  He was able to resurrect Jesus from the dead.  He gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to His followers.

Isaiah 46:10 (New International Version 1984)

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

So one thing about God we can know for sure is that God does what pleases Him.

I think what pleases God is to reveal himself to all creation and motivate us to receive salvation. For me He intervened and softened my heart so I would be open to the Gospel.

The Bible tells us about the Creator's choice in the matter at hand:

Exodus 33:19 NIV

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Romans 9:15 NIV
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion

on whom I have compassion.”

Isaiah 30:18 NIV
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a

God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

I am sometimes perplexed by God’s actions, or His decisions to allow things to happen without His intervention. I am sometimes baffled by His will in a particular circumstance.Yet, I have come to the accept, with help from the Bible, that I will never in this life fully understand the mind of God. God tells us directly:

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version 1984)

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

One thing I can apply to my life is that I can trust and invest in the promises of God. If God is sovereign, and He says He has a good plan for our lives, then we can rejoice in His ultimate power to fulfill those promises.

Romans 8:28 (New International Version 1984)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Application:

If God has an awesome plan for our lives, then why not surrender our will for His better purpose? Check out theses verses below: Good will do a good work in us. God will do a good work through us, God will fulfill in us His good purpose.

Philippians 1:6 (New International Version 1984)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Philippians 2:13 New International Version for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose

The Bible is clear, God has awesome plans for His people.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version 1984)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

John 3:16 (New International Version 1984)

 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So let’s take time each day to thank God for the plans He has for us.  Let’s rejoice in His sovereignty. Lets trust in God's plan for our lives:

Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version

Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; 
in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight. 

Remember and trust in this: If God directs it, it will happen.

Just Sayin………………..Dave