God is Sovereign. What does this mean?

First, it means that God possesses complete, supreme and ultimate power. In Christian terms, we call this ‘all powerful’. There is nothing that He could not do if He so chose to do it (please make sure you read to the end on this one). We can see examples of this in creation alone – an amazing planet, amazing creatures on it. The laws of nature. The universe as a whole – as big and amazing our planet is, it is just one planet around one star, in a universe of millions, or even billions of stars. God is THAT big, THAT powerful.

But more than that, it means God can, and sometimes will, direct our lives. This I know is a disturbing message. It grates against us; it makes us feel powerless, useless, out of control. And yet, there is overwhelming evidence in the Bible that this is so.

This is not going to be a discussion of free will, determinism, or predestination. There are many opinions and many experts – I am not qualified to go there, and believe often the discussion is more harmful than profitable. All we can say is what the Bible says, that we both have free will, and yet there are also times in our lives where God, for His reasons and purposes, will choose to ensure certain actions take place.

Let’s take a look at the story of Moses and Pharaoh. One interesting fact is that God didn’t have to harden Pharaoh’s heart for the first five plagues, but he did it of his own accord. Let’s take a look at the fourth plague, Flies. Exodus 8:32 reads “But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.”

But when we come to the sixth plague until the tenth, the Lord is now doing the hardening. With the sixth plague of boils, Exodus 9:12 reads “But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.”

For the first half of the argument, Pharaoh showed his heart by resisting God. You could well say that this is evidence enough of his heart, and that he therefore deserved to be hardened from then on. Maybe not. But both Exodus and Romans quote the same verse, that God had two reasons to harden his heart. First, that God might show His power. Second, that His name would be proclaimed throughout all the earth.

Maybe in the scheme of things whilst Pharaoh was hard of heart, he wasn’t hard enough. He had already made his decision to oppose God and His people – but he didn’t have the guts to go far enough that Gods name would be proclaimed throughout the earth. But because God hardened his heart for the last plagues, we know that the name of the Lord was spread among the nations.

Joshua 2:10-11 (esv)

For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

God is sovereign. But remember this, that God’s attributes, the qualities of God, are always evident. He is never sovereign at the expense of His other attributes. So while He is sovereign, he is also loving, eternal, faithful, good, holy, unchanging (immutable), merciful, impartial and much more. Whilst God is sovereign, we can never claim him to be unfair, or unjust, or unmerciful, or not good, or evil, or unfaithful.

What can we say then? That there will be times that God will take control of the situation – and that is a good thing! Without it we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Prayer

Thank you Lord God for your sovereignty. Thank you for the examples you have placed before us, that you show that you always look out for your people, and that you are always faithful, always just. Help us to understand what you are doing, and trust in you always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.