Sovereign God
I’m amazed at God’s timing again. I wrote this originally last week. It’s a word for Black Saturday, then and now.
I am a born and raised, dyed-in-the-wool, Assemblies of God girl. Went to church every time the door was open come rain or shine. I’ve huddled under pews during an Oklahoma tornado and seen my Sunday school room after a drunk driver crashed into it on a Saturday night. I went to a Christian college, (shout out Crusaders!) and have 18 hours of college Bible credit. Those courses taught by the men whose books younger pastors have studied. And still, I struggle with the mystery of who God is. Over the past few years I have studied the word “sovereign’ many times. Like most of you, I wrestle with a sovereign God in today’s pandemic. The very definition is someone with supreme power and authority. I do not doubt God’s sovereignty in this pandemic, I simply wonder at how He is choosing to use His sovereignty.
Apparently, King David, the man after God’s own heart, did too. In Psalm 31:13-15 he wrote,
“For I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’ They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, Lord; I say ‘ You are my God’ My times are in your hands, deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.” NIV
I find myself envious of David, because in my time, no one is ‘whispering’. The media and some of my friends are screaming about the terror all around! None can argue that Cornonavirus has plotted to “take our life”. The Psalms are famous for their encouragement and reassurance. Like you, I’ve been bombarded with quotes to quell my anxiety about this time in our lives. The Word of God is the definitive word and the only one with the authority of Heaven. Look at verse 15, My times are in your hands. The Christian Standard Bible says, “The course of my life is in your power.”
Sit with that a minute, and make yourself believe it, because it’s true. These times are in the hands of the Sovereign God. Whether it’s a wake up call, fulfillment of prophecy or an attack of Satan, these times are in His hands.
Shut out the whispers of terror on every side and focus on the Word of the Lord.
Think about that.
