“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkens counsel By words without meaning? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements since you know? Or stretched the line on it? ” (Job 38:1-5)
If you have read the book of Job you know that these verses start God’s magnificent reply to Job after he had been complaining to God about the terrible calamities that had happened so suddenly; the loss of his livestock, his hired hands, his children, and his health all in one day! Then he had the additional burden of his friends telling him he must have sinned greatly to have this happen to him.
After God is done reminding Job just who it is that he has been complaining about, there is nothing else for him to do but humble himself before his Creator: “Then Job answered the Lord, and said, ‘I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.’,,,,,,,Therefore I retract, And repent is dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-2,6)
Pastor Chuck Swindoll tells of his search, as a young divinity student, to understand the sovereignty of God. Here are some of his insights into God’s sovereignty:
“Whoever is sovereign must have a total, clear perspective, He must see the end from the beginning. He must have no match on earth or in heaven. He must entertain no fears, no ignorance, and have no needs. He must have no limitations and always know what is best. He must never make a mistake, He must possess the ability to bring everything to a purposeful conclusion and an ultimate goal. He must be invincible, immutable, infinite, and self-sufficient. His judgments must be unsearchable and His ways unfathomable. He must be able to create rather than invent, to direct rather than to wish, to control rather than hope, to guide rather than guess, to fulfill rather than dream. Who qualifies? You guessed it….God, and God alone.
And that does not begin to describe His resume’. He is our God, the One who says ‘It shall be’ and it is done, and ‘It shall not be’ and it is held back.
The apostle Paul developed this topic as well as anyone in Romans 9-11, and I want to challenge you to make your own study of those chapters. And if you don’t struggle with those chapters, you’re not really studying them…..
‘Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable His ways!’ (Romans 11:33)
Let’s revisit the scene of this grand doxology. This brilliant apostle, under the direction of the Spirit of God, extols the Lord our Father as being full of wisdom and knowledge. When He makes His decisions, which here are called ‘judgements,’ they are ‘unsearchable.’ because we live in a finite realm and He in the infinite. We live in the temporal now. He lives in the eternal forever. So His decisions, his judgements are ‘unsearchable.’ Furthermore, His ways, while they are right, are in the final analysis ‘unfanthanable.’ You cannot get to the bottom of them. You do, however, often come to the place where you say: ‘I just accept it.’ And that requires a humility that is very difficult for the educated, intelligent person of today.
All this has led me to a simple definition; Sovereignty means our all-wise, all-knowing God reigns in realms beyond our comprehension to bring about a plan beyond our ability to alter, hinder, or stop.
Let me go further. His plan includes all promotions and demotions. His plan can mean both adversity and prosperity, tragedy and calamity, ecstasy and joy. It envelops illness as much as health, perilous times as much as comfort, safety, prosperity, and ease. His plan is at work when we cannot imagine why, because it is so unpleasant, as much as when the reason is clear and pleasant. His sovereignty, though it is inscrutable, has dominion over all handicaps, all heartaches, all helpless moments. It is at work through all disappointments, broken dreams, and lingering difficulties. And even when we cannot fully fathom why, He knows. Even when we cannot explain the reasons, He understands,And when we cannot see the end, He is there, nodding, ‘Yes, that is My plan.’
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:34-36)
(Chuck Swindol, from chapter five of the book, The Mystery of God’s Will.)
PRAY
Lord God almighty, I bow down before You and lift my hands in praise to You because You are the only who deserves my praise, my love, my obedience, and my selfless service.
Thank you for creating me in Your image so that I can come to know you as my Creator, my personal God, my Savior, my Father, and my Redeemer. Help me to keep my eyes upon You today so that if You desire to speak to my heart today, I will be attentive to Your “still small voice.”
Fill me with Your Spirit and use me in any way that You choose. I trust You for everything that happens in my life because You are my commander and my loving Father!
