What exactly is that? Sovereignty is defined as supreme power or authority. But do we really believe that God controls our steps, directs our paths? Most born-again believers could probably quote Proverbs 3:5,6. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. That verse gives us a “how-to” application of sovereignty in three easy steps:
- Trust God with all your heart
- Don’t depend on your own understanding
- Acknowledge God…
… And the outcome is that He directs our paths. My Father gave me a rather unusual dose of His directing in ways far beyond my understanding or desires a few weeks ago.
Tom asked me on a date! We went to see “C.S.Lewis, The Most Reluctant Convert.” It was very good, but we had a little mix-up in the time and place. We started in one theatre, but when the starting time came and went, we asked questions. They sent us to Door Number 2. After 20 minutes of very discouraging previews (shocking what comes across the big screen!), the movie began with three simple words scrolling up from the bottom of the page: In the beginning…
As it continued to scroll, the storyline was definitely not Bible. Then the movie began—beyond weird! It was Eternals. If you ever want to know if you are really out of step with this world, sit through five minutes of the latest and greatest of Hollywood productions. We left that room and finally got to the right room and enjoyed the amazing story of C. S. Lewis’s conversion.
God allowed all that for a reason, but what was it? For me, it brought into focus the stark reality that this world is truly trying to erase the truth about God’s Word and His plan for this world. As believers, we don’t need to be hostile, but we do need to stand our ground and, most of all, spread the Good News.
God’s Sovereignty has been from the beginning of time—even eternally before that—and He certainly allowed the peoples of myriad nomadic groups to live on the American continents long before any “white man” stepped onto its shores. He also allowed kings and queens to rise and fall in Europe and Christians to be persecuted in the 1600s, which caused the Pilgrims to flee to this new land.
As I researched 18th century Native American history for my novel Spirit Rock, I was overjoyed by the amount of Gospel witness that occurred. Men like David Brainerd and Count Von Zinzendorf hazarded their lives in a very untamed wilderness to give the gospel to the Indians. And many accepted their words of hope for a better way of life—not a European way, but a biblical way—a way of eternal life and peace with the Creator God (whom they already recognized). However, I’m not writing about the conflict and injustices of the Europeans or the brutal ways of the Native Americans. This is about the sovereignty of God.
So, my question is, “Can you trust God to lead you in the small and big issues of life?” It’s easy to rely on our own strength. But what do we do when our strength, our knowledge, our aptitude aren’t enough? Where do we go to gain understanding and answers? Perhaps this will help you to make your choice. As born-again believers, we serve an Almighty God who has an eternal perspective. He sees ALL THINGS. He knows ALL THINGS, not only for today but for every tomorrow! Hallelujah! Asking any other source but God for help is like asking someone lost in the woods to show you the way instead of asking the Game Warden flying above you in a helicopter! God speaks to us in His Word saying:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:8-11
Beyond Common Sense 