Word of Encouragement (4/21/2020)

We are going to end our brief reflection on the attributes of God with God’s sovereignty.

Sovereignty is a compound word, made up of “supreme” and “reign.” Sovereignty, then, refers to God’s supreme, absolute reign over all things.

·       God is sovereign over all domains; there no square inch in this universe, which is outside of God’s sovereign control. He, who dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16), is also the sovereign Lord over hell (Ps. 139:8).

·       God is sovereign over all situations, even the result of the lots that are cast: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Prov. 16:33).

·       And God is sovereign over every second of time and what happens in it: “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’” (Isa. 46:9-10); “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13).

There are times when it doesn’t seem like God is in control, especially as we see evil and wickedness run rampant in the world. But the Bible shows time and again how God is able to use even wickedness and evil to accomplish His good and gracious will. The cross of Jesus Christ is the greatest example of this. God used the evil conspiracy of the Jewish leaders, the betrayal of Jesus by one of His disciples, the cowardice of the other disciples, the mob mentality of the Jewish crowd, the politically expedient but unjust decision of a Roman governor, the cruelty of Roman soldiers, and the wicked scheme of the devil to accomplish the salvation of God’s people in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So then, we should not lose heart even when hopelessness descends heavy on us and darkens our life as on that fateful Good Friday when Jesus, the most righteous, died the most unjust death. Even as the tragic death of Jesus Christ led to His glorious resurrection on the Easter morning, God will not fail to bring to its glorious completion what He began in our lives.

Have a blessed day!

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