Last Sunday, we studied one of the most powerful passages in our Bible—Exodus 3:1-15.
In the burning bush & the commission to Moses, the Lord unveiled his name & the meaning of his name. The Lord said, “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.”
The Lord said, I will be with you & I will be completely for you.
It was a promise of the presence of God to go with him, but it was more than that. It was also a promise of the power of God to work & accomplish all that the Lord promised.
And it happened!
The Lord was with Moses & the people of Israel. And the Lord delivered them powerfully through the plagues, the passover, the pillar of fire & pillar of cloud, the Rea Sea, the heavenly manna, the bronze snake, the water-spewing rock, & much more.
The Lord is the sovereign ruler over all & uses his sovereign power to help Moses & the people of Israel overcome anything that stands in the way of his promise.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IS NOT A BAD THING.
Sovereign is not a word we use often. It means supreme ruler or authority. It is used interchangeably with king or lord, as it still is in England & other countries with a monarchy.
So, the sovereignty of God is used to refer to the supreme & unrivaled rule of God over all things. The Scriptures teach this doctrine by stating again & again that the LORD rules over all & works all things to according to his will & purpose.
The prophet Daniel puts it powerfully:
. . . for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” Daniel 4:34-35
All the elements are there. The Lord is the king & his kingdom is everlasting. No one can stay his hand. No one can stop him. He works all things according to the will, regardless of who props themself up (e.g., Nebuchadnezzar) or tries to thwart his plans.
But the sovereignty of God is not a bad thing.
Let’s look back to Moses.
The name of the Lord was a comfort to him, because (1) the Lord declared himself to be the sovereign ruler over all; & (2) the Lord promised to use his sovereign rule & authority to uphold his promise to Moses. That is some of what is encapsulated in the name of the Lord.
The sovereignty of God means the Lord works all things according to his will & supplies power to his people to glorify him in it.
HIS POWER = OUR STRENGTH.
Therefore, the sovereignty of God is not just for God. It is for us, too.
The sovereignty of God promises that God will transfer his power to strengthen & support us, so that we can glorify him in every circumstance.
Let’s look at a few Scriptures to see how this comes together.
The Lord comforts his people with an astounding prophecy in Isaiah 40:
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. . . He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Isaiah 40:28-29
It’s clear. The Lord is the sovereign ruler over all. He is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of earth &, by implication, the ruler over every square inch of creation. As the all-powerful ruler over all, the Lord does not get tired or weary. He never needs a nap. His strength never fades.
But, that’s not all. He shares his power with those who need. He “gives power to the faint.” He gives strength to those who have none.
That’s incredible. Can you imagine how comforting that would be to the people of Israel as they were returning to Jerusalem from exile?
Psalm 121 underlines this same truth. It opens memorably:
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
The Lord “made heaven & earth” &, by implication, continues to rule over everything he has made.
But, God’s sovereignty is good news for his people. The Lord will not “let [their] foot be moved,” meaning he will guide their steps. The Lord is their “keeper,” meaning he will be with you to watch over you. “The Lord will keep your life.”
Those promises mean absolutely nothing if the Lord does not rule over all as the sovereign God. But since the Lord is the sovereign God, Psalm 121 fills our hearts with peace & security, especially in these uncertain days.
“GOD’S PROPERTIES ARE OUR BENEFITS.”
The sovereignty of God is one of the attributes or “properties” of God, but, as we have been saying, it is also a rich blessing of power, peace, & security to the people of God.
The English puritan John Flavel helps us to see what is going on in these passages:
“Though they be God’s properties, yet they are his people’s privileges and benefits; for when God makes over himself to them in covenant to be their God, he doth, as it were, deliver to them the keys of all his attributes for their benefit and security; and is as if he should say, my wisdom is yours, to contrive for your good; my power is yours, to protect your persons; my mercy yours, to forgive your sins; my all-sufficiency is yours to supply your wants; all that I am, and all that I have, is for your benefit and comfort.”
If that sinks in, it’ll change the way you face financial hardship or a rebellious child or another disappoint. It’ll change your life.
All that God is & all that he has is for our benefit & comfort. His power is ours. His wisdom is ours. His mercy is ours. His all sufficiency is ours.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD SHOULD give confidence & courage.
The sovereignty of God means the Lord works all things according to his will & supplies power to his people to glorify him in it.
This truth should enable to face every circumstance with conviction & courage.
Confidence, because every circumstance we face—even very difficult ones—are not the result of chance or chaos, but the purposeful unfolding of our sovereign God’s plan.
“We’re not adrift in chaos. We’re held in the everlasting arms. And therefore, and this makes the difference, we can be at peace and we can accept. We can say yes, Lord, I’ll take it. . . . Faith enables me to say, ‘Yes, Lord. I don’t like what You’re doing. I don’t understand it. . . . But God, You’re in charge.’ I know the One who is in charge of the universe. He’s got the whole world where? In His hands. And that’s where I am.” Elisabeth Elliot
Courage, because every circumstance will bring us fresh supplies of grace & strength. Don’t fear tomorrow, there is grace ready for you that you cannot anticipate right now.
The Lord is with us & is completely for us.
Even right now with the Coronavirus. Whether it is the very real challenge of watching loved ones struggle or the annoying burden of quarantining with a quiver of kids, our courage is fueled by the sovereignty of God.
May God be with you & supply all that we need to glorify him!