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Daniel 4:3 states, “His miracles are staggering, his wonders are surprising. His kingdom lasts and lasts, his sovereign rule goes on forever.” We worship a sovereign God. He is the One who is in complete control. While God may not directly cause everything that happens, everything passes through His fingers and nothing is a surprise to Him. He is continuously working to make our decisions, whether righteous or not, ultimately align with His grand plan and will. Take Satan for example. This fallen angel chose rebellion against God, but in the end, victory belongs to the Lord. God’s perfect clock and calendar are the only timetables that matter.
The most amazing aspect of God's sovereignty is that despite our complete unworthiness, He chooses to love and save us none-the-less. And alternately, He gives each of us the freedom to accept or reject His love. His sovereignty is full of grace. I feel secure in knowing that God is sovereign. I find comfort in the fact that He has no limitations. After all, I have so many! We also live in a world that lacks reliability. I need a just, consistent, and powerful God to rule over it all. Without sovereignty, God ceases to be God.
When my husband and I were struggling with infertility, I knew God was in control. I believed He had a plan. I didn’t like the situation, and I argued and wrestled with God about how His plan was not matching my own, but I always trusted that He had power over the outcome. I didn’t believe fate or bad luck had anything to do with our inability to conceive. Someone was in control; it just wasn’t me. Later, I’d learn that was a really good thing.
As months turned to years, I continued to pray because I knew there was a God who not only heard me, but One who could do something about it. I used to secretly ask myself, if God is in complete control, why pray? If God already has a plan, why bother? Then, it hit me. Prayer matters precisely because God is sovereign. We wouldn’t want to pray to a God who does not have ultimate and overarching power, influence, and control. There would be no reason to pray to a God like that. No, we pray because He does rule over all.
God’s sovereignty should bring us peace. But, His sovereignty is just half of the picture. If we worshiped and served a powerful God who was in complete control, but who wasn’t good, where would that leave us?
God’s sovereignty cannot – should not – be discussed without including His goodness. In my infertility struggle, it took me way too long to trust in BOTH God’s power AND in His character. Without a wildly loving God who only wants what is best for us, His power wouldn’t just be less important; it would be scary! Those of us who try so desperately to scheme and get our own way may still believe in God’s sovereignty, but we fight Him because we lack faith in His inherent goodness. God is always good. He is always working His plan, but that plan is shaped and molded so that the ending is just and perfect, not only for Him but also for those of us who love Him.
Perhaps, those of us who worry don’t lack trust in God’s control over situations. What we lack is trust in His goodness. We think that God’s plan is less desirable than our own. We attach our own limited and flawed judgments to what is good and what is bad. We do this without considering God’s great plan and His desire that all things work for the good of those who love Him. We don’t consider eternity.
When we could not conceive a child after four years, I labeled that outcome as “bad.” In full disclosure, I thought God’s plan stunk. I let Him know it too. I lacked a deep trust in who He said He was, not in what He said He could do. I fully believed He could create a pregnancy. I did not believe His unwillingness to do so was good.
I was wrong. After two adoption journeys around the world, I am the first to get on my knees, look up, and say, “I’m sorry I didn’t trust in Your goodness.”
I do now. I have learned that God’s power is half the story, and if I don’t start to embrace the other part of the picture [God’s goodness], I’m going to keep wrestling and losing. A belief system that highlight’s God’s sovereignty without His goodness produces frustration and hurts our relationship with Him. A limited focus on sovereignty without goodness is a lie that the enemy wants us to believe. In fact, Adam and Eve bought into that very lie, and they lost. It paralyzes our faith and distorts our understanding of God’s character. It causes us to worry, maybe even panic. And, it’s not the picture Scripture paints.
God is good. Always.
“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” ~ Psalm 145:9
Prayer: Father God, thank You for BOTH your sovereignty that gives me peace, AND for Your goodness that gives me hope. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Influenced by my prayer life, our adoption journeys, Psalm 100:5, Romans 8:28, the Bible verses referenced above, the song “Just Be Held” by Casting Crowns, and the book “Thriving in Babylon” by Larry Osborne
©2016 As a Clay Jar. All rights reserved.
My book, "Clay Jar Cracked," is available on Lulu.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retail sites, and including print, e-pub, nook, and kindle versions. To schedule speaking engagements, please email Cortney.
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