As Christians, we believe in God’s sovereignty, the fact that He is the Creator and supreme ruler of all. God’s rule is all over the Bible, but here are just a few verses about it:

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases (Psalm 115:3).

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” (1 Chronicles 16:31).

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19).

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand (Proverbs 19:21).

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Proverbs 16:9).

I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things (Isaiah 45:5-7).

For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose (Isaiah 46:9b-10).

But then we wonder, if God is sovereignly ruling and reigning from heaven, why do such atrocities like murder and rape occur? Why do hurricanes and tornadoes and fires decimate cities and take so many lives? 

The good world that God created has been broken since sin entered. “The whole creation has been groaning together, waiting for its redemption” (Romans 8:22).

Jesus died for the sins of the world, that whoever believes in Him can receive forgiveness.  Someday, after Jesus returns, sin will be defeated and everything will be made right. Until then, He gives grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). He even redeems our circumstances, working all things together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28).

People have argued for centuries over what God allows vs. what He ordains and how His sovereignty and our responsibility work together. Those are subjects too big for this blog post, and there are people much more qualified than I am to write about them.

But through years of talking with other Christians and reading Christian writing, it seems to me there are some things God’s sovereignty does not mean.

God’s sovereignty does not mean:

Passivity.

When William Wilberforce was confronted with the horrors of slavery, he didn’t sit back and say, “Well, it must be God’s will.” He fought slavery his whole life. Others who joined him saw slavery as the ultimate in not loving our fellow humans as God taught us to.

When Elisha stayed with the Shunammite woman in 1 Kings 4, he wanted to make some return to her for her hospitality. When he found she was childless, he foretold that she would have a son. When the son died, he raised him up. In neither case did he say, “Well, God allowed it, so I can’t do anything about it.”

Sometimes God brings people’s needs to our attention for the very purpose that He might use us to meet them. We can’t do what Elijah did, but we can help as God enables.

Fatalism

Some years ago when a national election hadn’t gone the way most Christians preferred, I wrote a post saying all was not lost because we still had a voice in America. We could stay informed, vote our consciences, write to our officials, let our views be known on issues, etc. Someone commented that because God was sovereign, fate was sealed and nothing we did would change anything. I responded that we have several instances in the Bible of people influencing officials: Joseph, Daniel, Esther, John the Baptist. This reader kept arguing, and  I finally had to ask him to stop.

God knows what is going to happen, and it’s true our actions won’t change something He has ordained. Yet it is also true that somehow, He works through our actions as He leads us. 

Lack of regret.

Though David was forgiven for his sin with Bathsheba and her husband, and God used his heartbroken expression of repentance in Psalm 51 in countless lives since then, I have no doubt that he regretted his actions, especially as the consequences played out in his family. I’m sure Peter regretted denying the Lord Jesus. We all have regrets–actions and words we wish we could take back, opportunities missed, and so forth.God forgives and redeems our regrets, but we wish we would have done right in the first place. 

Stoicism.

When a fellow Christian is troubled over something God has brought into his or her life or some good thing He has not given, we can get a little impatient, thinking, “You just need to accept that this is God’s will and move on.” And maybe, ultimately, acceptance of God’s will is needed. But often acceptance is not a one-time event. Sometimes we have to wrestle our desires or emotions into submission. And though God allows circumstances for a reason, He also calls us to come alongside, encourage, help others gain perspective, and help bear their burdens.

I think in situations like school shootings or major disasters, Christians can jump immediately to God’s sovereignty in their efforts to find meaning and hope. But there are times to just weep with those who weep over the effects of living in a fallen world. Yes, ultimately we find comfort in His care and purpose. But He knows this world will have its share of sorrow and calls us to comfort each other. Our ultimate comfort comes from the promise that, in His kingdom to come, there will be no more sorrow, death, crying, or pain.

Nonchalance

I’ve known some people with the attitude that it doesn’t matter what choices they make in life, because God will guide them to the right choice. God promises to lead us in the way we should go, but He tells us to seek His will, pray, be careful, walk wisely, be diligent, and so many other things. Scripture shows people praying for God’s direction: Abraham’s servant, Jehoshaphat. Even Jesus spent the night in prayer before naming His disciples.

That there is no need for prayer.

Another mystery in the Bible is why we’re to pray when God knows the need and knows what He will do about it. One reason God calls us to pray is for our fellowship and our growth and submission to His will. And though He can and does act apart from our prayers, there are things we won’t have if we don’t pray. “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2b).

That there is no need for self-examination

Some years ago, a missionary letter told of many details and preparations involved in special meetings at his church. Visitors came, but no one visibly responded. One of the Christians asked why. The missionary replied that the unsaved people who came were not elect.

I was stunned. I think the better response would have been that sometimes we plant the seed of the gospel and sometimes we water it (1 Corinthians 3:6). Maybe people didn’t respond to the gospel then, but they heard it. And maybe some did respond in their hearts even though they did not come forward at the invitation.

But it still concerned me that a lack of response was deemed God’s “fault,” with no examination about whether the Christians there could have done anything differently. Did people welcome the visitors? Were they friendly? Was the gospel explained clearly? Were there distractions like heat, cold, bugs (in open air meetings), etc.? Yes, God is the one that brings the gospel to fruition in a life, and the Holy Spirit can work in spite of hindrances. But we can also do everything in our power to have as few hindrances as possible.

When missionary Amy Carmichael was once sharing the gospel with someone, the woman seemed to be listening, until she noticed Amy’s fur gloves. Such gloves were not common in her country, and she got distracted examining them. Amy never wore the gloves again. 

That we can’t make wrong decisions.

There’s an odd story in 2 Kings 13 where Elisha told the king to take his arrows and strike the ground with them.

And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times” (2 Kings 13:18-19).

The Israelites had been promised a land for their people. But when the time came to go in and take the land, most of the people balked and refused. Instead of relying on God’s promised help, they held back in fear. So God sent them into the wilderness for forty years.

When Mordecai warned Esther about Haman’s wicked scheme to kill the Jews, he asked her to go speak to the king about it. The problem was that Esther would be risking her life by going to the king uninvited. He might welcome her, but if he didn’t, he could have her killed. Mordecai responded:

Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13-14).

Of course, in each case, God knew what people would do and what He would do in response. The Bible doesn’t teach open theism, the concept that God doesn’t know what’s going to happen or that He’s waiting to see what we’ll do before He acts. But humanly speaking, we can make wrong decisions. The Bible is replete with warnings about following God’s revealed will.

That we don’t need to plan

We trust God to take care of us, but we also seek wisdom for life decisions. God often works to take care of us through the counsel of others. In speaking of counting the cost of discipleship, Jesus said, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28).

Proverbs 24:27 says “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.” 

I knew someone who didn’t want to schedule her time because she wanted to be open to God’s leading throughout the day.  But God can work through schedules as well as through interruptions. 

God’s sovereignty doesn’t negate our responsibility to seek His will and guidance and make wise choices based on His Word. We can take comfort in the fact that God knows everything going on in our lives and nothing can happen unless He allows it. If He allows it, He promises His grace and help to deal with it. 

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