A recent church weekend away was on the sovereignty of God. I was asked to write a short reflection on the weekend. This is what I wrote:
If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you'll be used to "debates" about God's sovereignty, and issues of free will, evil and fatalism will be batted back and forth like tennis balls. Sadly in all this, I can very easily lose sight of God. On the weekend away, it was, therefore, the reminders that God is King (sovereign) in His world that struck me most. He alone is the Creator, all else is created and, therefore, under His rule. The reaches of His rule are all-encompassing, from my breakfast cereal to the rain that sends me scurrying back in for an umbrella, from the moment of inspiration when reading my Bible, to exactly which bus I get or miss.
God made each oat sheaf grow, each leaf was formed, and each grain harvested and squashed into my porridge oats, with Him knowing exactly which oats I was going to eat, and which would be eaten by my flatmate, before I even decided which porridge to buy! And every "natural" event, every flurry of snow, ray of sunshine, or sharp north-westerly breeze is sent out from God's hand. Every day is filled with His glorious providence, even when I don't want to acknowledge it, even when I am a "practical Deist" - i.e. when I ignore God's constant rule of the world, and imagine that I'm in charge , and that God just occasionally "intervenes".
This session was a rebuke for the days when I grumble whilst getting the umbrella, reminding me that it's not just that it happened to rain, but that God deliberately sent the rain. It is a wonderful truth to be reminded of. How can I be so ungrateful to the LORD who made me and provides all my needs? How can I consign Him to just "helping out" when I want something? I must rejoice in all His goodness, in His awesome sovereignty. I must be grateful for all the wonderful things that fill my day, and see His perfect hand in all things.
This post was originally posted
here.
