In Scripture, we find a wonderful concept known as the sovereignty of God - His extreme authority and power over all of time and creation.
This can seem a scary or limiting thought; that someone else is ultimately in control, can bother those who would like authority and power over their own lives. Uh, wait, isn't that all of us? Aren't we all struggling to rule over our little domains?
I believe that in Scripture, the constant references in prose, prayer, and praise, to God's sovereignty cause God's people to both revere Him and find great comfort in Him. Once a soul knows God as the One who quenches thirst, gives rest, and forgives sin, growing trust in this sovereign, tender, loving, heavenly Father, brings great peace and freedom as we meditate on and surrender to His sovereignty - over the world and our individual lives. We are left wondering at the majesty of His ability to see all of history and creation at once, and being able to guide and sustain it all justly. And we are able to rest, trust, and obey, knowing that the infinite is in the hands of the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God of it all. The Holy One is awesome, yet also lets us call Him Father. We fear and we draw near.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so we've been reading about Squanto and the Pilgrims. I've learned (for the first time) a little of the history on how Squanto learned English prior to the Pilgrims' arrival in the New World. Had Squanto not been there - unfearing of the English, able to speak their language - all of them would have perished, not just half. Those brave men and women came to worship freely in a new land; God provided the means for them to survive. It was not easy; wives, husbands, sons, and daughters were lost. But I wonder how they worshiped and thanked God that in that strange land was a foreign man, who "happened" to know how to communicate with them and was equipped to teach them all they needed to survive. In the stories, untold from a Christian perspective, I see the hand of God, merciful, all-knowing, and kind, taking care of His people. One day we will worship with them in His very presence!
After Thanksgiving, we come to Christmas, building up to it in the advent season of waiting for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. From the beginning, God had a plan to send His Son and save the world through Him. In the midst of the sin and darkness here on earth, God was always moving, making promises to Abraham, Moses, David, and speaking through the mouths of the prophets, calling His people to trust and obey Him - the Great Rescuer. Then, He came! Jesus, who would save his people from their sins. Immanuel, who would be God with us. The promised One came - lived, died, and rose - as promised. God, the sovereign, keeps His promises. Now, Jesus sits in heaven interceding for us.
When Jesus departed from the Earth, another promise was made. Stay put until the Spirit comes to you, Jesus told His disciples. Shortly thereafter, the promise was fulfilled. The Spirit of God came to live in the hearts of men who put their faith in Him, empowering them to live for Him as beloved children and bold witnesses and transforming them increasingly into Christ's likeness.
This morning in Sunday school our pastor gave a great summary of how a conviction of God's sovereignty and presence with us brings changes in our thoughts and our lives; I'll call it the Trinitarian Presence in the Life of the Believer.
Oh, the blessed HOPE found in that summary, a HOPE supported by the words of Scripture and the actions of the Father!
I wonder if, looking back you can see, not only huge ways that God's will and timing have made a difference in history, but ways that His sovereignty has guided your steps. Consider not how God's sovereignty over your life limits, but rather how much it frees from worry, despair, fear, and doubt when you rest in the secure arms of such a capable, promise-fulfilling Father, who calls YOU daughter or son. When I look back, it's most awesome to me to see how God was guiding and protecting my life even at times when I was NOT looking to Him, living by His commands, or trusting His plan. The echos of mercy in the sovereignty of God get louder and louder the closer we draw near to Him.
Dare to draw near. You can make no better decision today.
When Jesus departed from the Earth, another promise was made. Stay put until the Spirit comes to you, Jesus told His disciples. Shortly thereafter, the promise was fulfilled. The Spirit of God came to live in the hearts of men who put their faith in Him, empowering them to live for Him as beloved children and bold witnesses and transforming them increasingly into Christ's likeness.
This morning in Sunday school our pastor gave a great summary of how a conviction of God's sovereignty and presence with us brings changes in our thoughts and our lives; I'll call it the Trinitarian Presence in the Life of the Believer.
God around me; Jesus for me; the Holy Spirit in me.
Oh, the blessed HOPE found in that summary, a HOPE supported by the words of Scripture and the actions of the Father!
I wonder if, looking back you can see, not only huge ways that God's will and timing have made a difference in history, but ways that His sovereignty has guided your steps. Consider not how God's sovereignty over your life limits, but rather how much it frees from worry, despair, fear, and doubt when you rest in the secure arms of such a capable, promise-fulfilling Father, who calls YOU daughter or son. When I look back, it's most awesome to me to see how God was guiding and protecting my life even at times when I was NOT looking to Him, living by His commands, or trusting His plan. The echos of mercy in the sovereignty of God get louder and louder the closer we draw near to Him.
Dare to draw near. You can make no better decision today.
