One God Over All

In the past week there was a mass killing of young people in Norway.  Unemployment was at an all-time high in the U.S.  Our military are spread out in terroristic countries losing lives daily.  Young men were killed in the streets of Reading (and many others across the country).  Our politicians were trying to fight out a deal to lift our debt ceiling because, as a nation, we are spending way too much money (borrowing $.40 for every $1 we spend!).  New York performed the first gay marriage in their state.  And my last post was about the weather?

I had written “Weather We Like it or Not” and as I was walking down the steps I thought, “what am I doing?  There are so many more important issues than the weather in peoples’ lives right now.  Why didn’t I write something more “relevant”? 

I realized almost immediately that there was real relevance in that post for all that’s going on in America and around the world.  Though the illustrations were about the weather the real topic of the discussion in that post was God’s sovereignty.  If we cannot believe the basic truth of God’s total control over the weather and other “acts of nature” then we will not see or recognize His hand in the other things that are going on in the world. 

In Job 1, before Satan attacked Job and killed his children and took all that he had, he has to appear before God to receive God’s permission before acting.  God put a boundary on how far Satan could take the test of Job.  He is sovereign even over Satan.  God is not a non-participating observer of the events of the world.  He actively does what is most efficient in achieving His purposes for His people, individually and corporately.  

Though we can look at that list of events in the world and wonder what the Lord is doing we cannot say that He has been absent or will be surprised by any of them.  Some things happen in judgment.  Some things happen as rewards.  Some things happen to grow our faith.  Some test our faith and maybe even our wills.  In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we can even see that some things just happen.  They are common to man.  Some are consequences of our own sinful behavior. 

Some may read the list in the first paragraph and wonder what kind of God would cause such things to happen.  In fact, I used to think that way before I had any understanding of who God is.  He allows these things for the good of His people and His own glory.  Non-Christians find this hard to understand.  Though they may believe they do understand, I can tell you that I had no clue.  I had gone to Sunday School and church most of my life but until God opened my eyes and gave me a hunger to read and study His word, I truly didn’t get it.  God wanting His own glory sounded arrogant to me.  The truth is that if the Almighty, Most Holy, All Knowing, All loving, Omniscient, God of the Universe does things for His own glory, my response should be to give Him that glory. He is worthy of all the glory and all the honor and all the praise I can offer Him. 

But I didn’t know that until I got to know HIM.  He is even sovereign over who will come to know Him.  Though there is a common invitation to everyone to come to faith in Jesus Christ.  He gives a personal, irresistible, invitation to those He has chosen before the creation of the world.  (Ephesians 1:4).  In His providence He placed people in my life who would glorify Him in ways my mainline church failed to do.  He tuned me into Christian radio that I couldn’t get enough of until I was so curious about what His word said that I accepted an invitation to study it.  What a gift. 

Though I had no clue at the time, I can now see His sovereign hand drawing me right into His loving arms.  Then He offered faith and I refused it!  In His love and goodness he did not let me say no but pursued me as the Hound of heaven does.  

He is in control of all things…even me.  That can be very hard to grasp before we know Him personally.  Our personal responsibility is not lessened because of His sovereignty.  If we want to walk away He may not stop us.  The consequneces will be ours.  These are mysteries that we don’t fully understand.  What I am sure of is that he will never leave me nor forsake me.  I know from studying His word that he will be my shield and refuge, my helper, and my sure foundation.

As I look at all that is going on in the world and then think about all that I know to be true of my Lord and Savior I must join Habakkuk.  In these days of difficult things he is the prophet that keeps coming to mind. He said it like this:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
   nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
   and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
  yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer’s;
   he makes me tread on my high places.  Habakkuk 3:17 – 19.

We can have the peace that passes all understanding in hot weather, during wars and famine, and even in the midst of our own nation’s financial crisis because our God is our refuge, our strength and a very present help in times of trouble – for our good and His glory!   (Psalm 46:1)