God Alone is Sovereign
If God isn’t sovereign over all, He isn’t sovereign at all.
He can’t be sovereign over most things, but not all things and still be sovereign. Not in the truest sense of the word.
To be sovereign means we’re able to do
- whatever we want
- whenever we want
- for whatever purpose we want
Throughout history, nations have referred to their ruler as “the sovereign” to indicate that their rule supersedes everyone else’s. What they say goes. All they have to do is give the word, and it’s done.
I’m clearly not sovereign. I can’t even get myself to obey my wishes. I’m like Paul in this struggle:
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15 ESV).
I’m not sovereign—and neither are you—because we’re not sovereign over anything. Not really.
Consider this:
If I determine to walk across a room, any number of scenarios could stop me.
- I could trip and knock myself out.
- I could get distracted by a slice of blueberry lemon cake and a cup of coffee. (The coffee alone could do it.)
- A tornado could rip through my house and send me into my neighbor’s kitchen.
I’m capable of walking across the room unimpeded, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do it because I’m not sovereign. But God is.
How God’s Sovereignty Brings Comfort
God’s sovereignty means that He can do whatever He wants with whoever or whatever He wants for whatever purpose He wants.
God’s sovereignty means He is absolutely free and completely able to do all that He determines to do.
This Truth would terrify us if God’s sovereignty weren’t equaled by His perfect love, wisdom, and goodness.
The truth of God’s sovereignty allows us to rest in Him and His will without fear.
No terror by day or night can threaten us. No one can ever truly hurt a Christian, because we know God’s sovereignty means everything that touches our lives first answers to Him. If He allows it or brings it, it must serve Him and work together for the good of His children and His glory.
Our souls find great rest and comfort when we truly believe God is able to do anything and only ever chooses to do what is best. His character will allow nothing less.
God’s Sovereignty vs. Supremacy
God’s sovereignty sounds like His supremacy, but they’re not the same. They’re more like siblings than twins.
God’s supremacy says there’s no one above Him (1 Chronicles 29:11).
His sovereignty says no one can act apart from His permission (Lamentations 3:37).
Believing God is Sovereign Changes Everything
Every day, circumstances happen that we can’t control.
If these things hurt, we want to know God has a plan for them.
If they devastate us, we need to know with all our hearts that He has a good purpose for the tragedy.
When a child dies, we need to know Satan didn’t steal the child away from God. We need to know, believe, and rest in this Truth 100%, or we’ll struggle for the rest of our days.
Since absolutely nothing can happen apart from God stepping aside to allow it, we can rest in the Truth—even while grieving and mourning the heart-wrenching loss.
We may never understand God’s good purpose for all the suffering we endure on this side of heaven, but we can trust Him.
Knowing and trusting God’s sovereignty gives us peace even in the midst of devastating pain—so long as we’re equally convinced in His goodness and love.
God’s Sovereignty Versus Our Free Will to Choose
Just as every day, circumstances happen that we can’t control, every day we make decisions. Some are great. (Study God’s Word rather than ignore my Bible.) Many are neutral (Wear the blue shirt versus the pink one). And other choices are horrible. (Drink and drive.)
God allows us the freedom to make choices. Our decisions never hinder His sovereignty. He knows everything we’re going to do, and He knows how He will work in and through our decisions.
In Scripture, He often thwarted wrong decisions, but not always. He allowed David to commit adultery with Bathsheba and have her husband killed. But God didn’t allow David’s son Absolom to kill David and steal the throne. It looked like Absolom would succeed for a minute, but God’s sovereignty overruled.
We want to make the best decisions, and too often this leads us to waffle back and forth or even have panic attacks. Trusting in God’s sovereignty removes our fears and empowers us to make decisions without fretting. And to accept other’s decisions without panic.
We have a sovereign advocate in heaven—Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). No matter what decisions we or others make, we can’t hinder God. We can’t overpower His decisions.
Our Savior sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for His children (Romans 8:33-34).
“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
Romans 8:33-34 NIV
God Works All Things Together For Good
We’ll make mistakes along the way, and God may choose for us to suffer the consequences. But we can take comfort in this, that God never makes mistakes. His sovereignty rules over our mistakes. He’s able to right all our wrongs—IF, in His infinite wisdom, He so chooses. And if He doesn’t, we can trust Him with that, too.
Resting in the Truth that our Sovereign Lord works all things together for good for His children silences our anxious thoughts (Romans 8:28). I learned that valuable lesson years ago when I lost a volunteer position I loved.
The leaders of the organization decided to give my position to someone else even though they said they were pleased with my performance.
My heart—and let’s be honest, my pride—hurt. But then I remembered God’s sovereignty.
If God wanted me in the position, no one could remove me from it. If He didn’t want me in the position, not even they could keep me there.
My heart lifted when I embraced His sovereignty. I rejoiced to know that God had a plan both for them and for me that called for me to lose something I loved. That it would serve my good and His glory. And it did.
I found God wonderfully faithful through it all. Imagine that.
God’s Sovereignty In Our Choosing Evil
God hates evil. He never tempts anyone to do evil. (Psalm 5:5, James 1:13) But, He’ll often allow us to make evil decisions—decisions He hates.
Just as He did in the Garden of Eden, God has a purpose for allowing even for the worst of decisions. How do we reconcile a good God who allows or even brings evil down on us?
The prophet Habakkuk struggled with this. He couldn’t understand how a holy God could raise up the violent Babylonians against the kingdom of Judah. (Habakkuk 1:13) But the wise prophet chose to remember the truths He knew about God—that He is indeed holy and thus nothing He does is evil. Nothing. His sovereignty is holy, good, and kind—not cruel.
God may allow us to make evil choices, but we can be certain of this. If our choices would interfere with His purposes, He’ll interfere with our choices.
Not even the evilest of all—Satan—can act apart from God’s sovereignty allowing it. As horrible as the death and destruction of the 911 terrorist attacks were, the death toll would’ve been much worse if God hadn’t interfered. Satan didn’t want survivors. Neither did the terrorists.
How do we handle all the loss of all the other lives? By remembering God’s perfect love and wisdom. By trusting His full character.
Just because we can’t understand His hand doesn’t mean we can’t trust it.
The Danger of Enduring Sovereign-Envy
Knowing and being grateful that God is sovereign doesn’t stop us from wanting to be sovereign, too.
Both Christians and non-Christians seek sovereignty over our circumstances and the people in our lives. Even when we tell ourselves we don’t, deep down we do. It’s in our sin nature.
If we don’t accept this ugly truth about ourselves—or we’re oblivious to this inner struggle—we’ll continue to fight and lose. We’ll live a frustrated, exhausting yo-yo life.
Resisting God’s sovereignty causes our faith to form shallow roots. Too shallow to hold us in the storm. When we lose control of those around us, we lose control of our emotions and topple.
Like a tree that topples in a storm, we’re in danger of destroying everyone around—especially those we love most.
Those who fight for control in their relationships, threaten their relationships.
When a spouse demands their way, they’ve exalted themselves above God as sovereign in their marriage. They may wrangle control, but they won’t find happiness.
If an employee tries to wrestle control away from his boss, imagine how long that person will remain employed?
How can we tell if we’re in bondage to sovereign-envy?
Check your tone. Does your voice tend to bite when someone disagrees with you? Or doesn’t jump when you make a request—or demand?
Check your choices. Do you tend to do what pleases you more than what others prefer? Do you seek to manipulate situations to get your way?
Check your emotions. Do you sulk when you don’t get to do what you want? When it’s not all about you? Do you ever find yourself saying, “Everyone else gets to….”?
How To Be Free of Sovereign-envy
Pride is at the heart of our sovereign-envy. It’s at the heart of every sin. Humbling ourselves before God sets us free.
Humility accepts the truth that we’re bent on sovereignty. But there can only be one true sovereign, or there is no actual sovereign.
Those who humble themselves surrender their will to God and embrace His right as sovereign.
They keep their sovereign-envy radar up. They look for signs that they’re trying to snatch sovereignty away from God—as if we could.
“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).
Let’s resist the desire to wrestle control. It leads to ruin. Instead, let’s delight in His wise and loving control.
Let’s live like oak trees whose roots sink deep into the fertile soil of Truth. The storm winds will blow, but they’ll never uproot us.
Peace—not panic—will rule our hearts. And joy will fill our souls.
God’s Word on His Sovereignty
Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it?
(Lamentations 3:37)
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All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him:
“What have you done?”
(Daniel 4:35)
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Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
(Psalm 135:6)
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But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
(Psalm 115:3)
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“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”
(Job 42:2)
