God Is Sovereign

“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, . . .” (Ephesians 1:11).

Read Ephesians 1:11-14.

The disciple of Jesus must go directly to the Lord Himself in the pages of Scripture to discover the Truth of who He is. And the most foundational Truth about God is that He is sovereign. God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will—nothing can thwart His purposes (see Ephesians 1:11; Psalm 135:5-6; Isaiah 14:27; Job 42:2). God’s knowledge, authority, power, and dominion extend to the smallest thing in the whole universe. And this absolute rule is the axle around which all God’s other attributes revolve.

People tend to have one of two responses to the idea of God’s sovereignty in the midst of this broken world: Either they don’t believe the Lord is in perfect control of the universe, or they don’t believe He is perfectly good. As we look around our world and see evil, pain, and suffering, it can be easy to conclude that God is not really in control or that He must not be all that good.

You see, in our sin we want to make God like us. We want to bring Him down to our level because we want to understand how everything works, we want to be in control. However, God has declared, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Brothers and sisters, it’s okay to be baffled by God. His ways are not our ways.

At the same time, God has revealed to us quite a bit about His will. He wants us to know He loves to save repentant sinners and that He spent many centuries preparing the world for the coming of His Son. He wants us to know that His Son, by dying on the cross and carrying the penalty due our sin, satisfied the justice of the Father. And He wants all humanity to know the salvation available through Jesus Christ, even commissioning His disciples as ambassadors of His Good News.

God wants us to know that because He is sovereign, all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28). He wants us to know that He is conforming us to the image of His Son, Jesus (see v. 29). He wants us to know we can live this life without fearing the future because it is in His hands—and He loves us.

Prayer: Lord, You are the one, true God, sovereign alone over all. May I live according to this Truth and enjoy the peace of knowing Your love through my Savior, Jesus. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.