If God is the sort of God who is capable of ordaining such evils, then you can’t trust God’s character. The answer is yes. Why is this so important. Someone has expressed it this way: “God in His love always wills what is best for us. God loves me. No one can act outside of God’s sovereign will or against it. God GovernsThe Bible also teaches that God governs the universe, not only inanimate creation, but also the actions of all creatures, both men and animals. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. View Resource. Later, I learned that the sovereignty of God is that which separates the God of the Bible from all other religions, truth claims, and philosophies. Will Graham Q&A: Should the Faithful Heed COVID-19 Warnings? Designed to foster open and authentic discussion, Is God in Control of My Life? He’s in control even in our fallen world where terrible things happen and people do terrible things. Just as God’s rule is invincible, so it is incomprehensible. Etched in our memories is also the day after Christmas 2004, when an earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean created a tsunami that caused more than 200,000 deaths and displaced millions more in Southeast Asia. Therefore, if God was in absolute control of the world, where would there be any place for evil in it? And also when he did survive but ended up paralyzed from the waist down. The Prophet Jeremiah asks, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?” (Lamentations 3:37). Brenda, this is a great reminder that God is in control always.. even in the bad things that happen. Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). Experiences like the mate that walks out, the cancer that brought death, the drunk driver who went left of center, the wayward son, the wayward daughter, the betrayal by a business partner, the upside down financial experience, the loss of a house … you name it. The question on many people’s lips is, “Where is God in all of this?” And perhaps even more urgently they ask, “Where is He concerning the adversities in my personal life?” In the midst of such questioning, it is time to ask a question of the Scriptures: Is God really in control? He’s in control even when there are things we don’t understand. A pastor for over thirty years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. They find it difficult to accept that both calamities and good things come from God. He gives us options. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.”. So I asked a friend and then did a word study on it. The most common way we use the word today is to mean a desire or a wish. Many observers noted, for example, that church attendance in the United States rose just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The sovereignty of God is asserted, either expressly or implicitly, on almost every page of the Bible. Even the Apostle Paul pleaded with God three times to take away the thorn in his flesh before he finally found God’s grace to be sufficient. He will provide for me. Whether the difficulty is large or small, whether it strikes us personally or unfolds unemotionally on our TV screen, in times of adversity we look for answers to our most profound questions. People often ask the question, “If God is a God of love, how could He allow such a calamity?” But Jesus Himself affirmed God’s sovereignty in calamity when Pilate said to Him, “Don’t you realize that I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:10-11). God promises to always be by your side. Is He trustworthy? When we lose control, we can find hope in knowing that a God who loves and cares for us and who deeply cares about our welfare is in control. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. Is God Sovereign in My Suffering?Adversity with its accompanying emotional pain comes in many forms. In my book, he would be as guilty as sin and I’d want nothing to do with him.”, An online poll that ran for many months following the tsunami on the Web site beliefnet.com asked, “Does God have a role in natural disasters?” The results consistently showed that almost half of those polled agreed with this statement: “Although I believe in God, the supernatural had nothing to do with this tragedy.”. I’m trying to respond here to someone who says, “Well, God doesn’t control everything, but he permits lots of things.” I’m saying that’s right. Consider this one: “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? God does not control us. Psalm 46:1. In my biblical research on this topic, I have never felt completely finished with compiling the list of verses on the sovereignty of God. Lord, thank you for your sovereign love for every human being. “I hope the pandemic ends soon.” “I…, Sometimes the Christian life feels blessed and rewarding. There may be the heartache of an unhappy marriage, the disappointment of a miscarried pregnancy or grief over a spiritually indifferent or rebellious child. One of our problems with the sovereignty of God is that it frequently does not appear that God is in control of the circumstances of our lives. “The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand’” (Isaiah 14:24). On July 7, 2005, four powerful explosions rocked London’s transportation system, killing more than 50 people and injuring at least 700. Still others experience the sting of injustice, the dull ache of loneliness and the stabbing pain of unexpected grief. If you have a small God, you will always have big, overwhelming problems. When my sister’s husband died many years ago I remember telling her (as a young Christian) that God didn’t have anything to do with him dying, that the enemy took his life. Put God in the driver’s seat of your life, beacause anything under His control will never be out of control. We experience the … The stars continue in their courses because He keeps them there. There is a plan. The truth is, all of us face adversity in various forms and at different times. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” By definition, a refuge … Historically, however, the Church has always understood the providence of God to refer to His care and governance over all of His creation at all times. 4 . The Providence of GodGod’s providence is a term we sometimes casually use to acknowledge God’s seemingly periodic intervention in our affairs. PARTICIPANT GUIDE. In our pain and difficulty and betrayal, it is really difficult to believe this. Romans 8:28, a very familiar passage, says, “For we know that God works all things together for the good, for those that love Him and that are called according to His purposes.”. 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