I
trust you are well and encouraged through your time spent in communion with the
Lord. Today I would like to help facilitate deeper communion by offering
a "thought" from Matt Papa, found
in his book on worship entitled, "Look and Live."It is helpful because it reminds us of truths about God that we can sometimes forget. It comes from a section entitled, "The Glory of God's Sovereignty." A significant part of worship is allowing the soul to see, relish, and adore God for who He is and all He is. And when it comes to attributes or characteristics of God, one of the attributes mentioned most frequently in the Bible (especially in the Old Testament) is His Sovereignty. I pray the truth of what Matt Papa shares will not only lead you into deeper communion, but greater adoration of our awesome God. Enjoy.
The Glory of God's Sovereignty
"God's
rule presides over every mega-star and every human cell. As R.C. Sproul says,
there is not one maverick molecule in the universe. Since all things are
"from Him" and are sustained "through Him," all things owe
a debt of allegiance "to Him" (Romans 11:36). That which God makes
God owns. As Abraham Kuyper famously said, "There is not a square inch in
the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign
over all, does not cry, Mine!" Amen. God reigns. Most
would give a hearty "Amen" to that. The problem comes (for me
included) when we see that God's reigning, according to the Bible, is not
merely an overarching general control. Rather, God plans and determines every
single thing that happens in His universe. I should repeat that. God plans and
determines every single thing that happens in His universe -- just as a
composer (putting together a symphony) strategically places every single note
for every single measure for every single instrument for its designated
duration.
Not
a meteor, molecule, or mouth moves without God's command. He is sovereign.
Amen. God reigns. Amen? The sovereignty of God is the happy,
unchallenged, free exercise of His will. It is: God does what God wants.
Period. This doctrine is difficult. Its glory makes us squint, but I hope
you'll look with me. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, "I believe that
every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or
less than God wishes." Every particle of dust?
Have
you considered this before? Well consider it again. God's sovereignty is a
matchless sovereignty... Consider the following verses. Sit with them.
Read them. Pray them. Write about them if you like, and worship the great God
they describe.
Job 42:2: "I know (LORD) that you can do all things, no
plan of yours can be thwarted."
Psalm 135:6: "I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord
is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens
and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths."
Proverbs 16:9: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the
LORD determines his steps."
Isaiah 46:9-10: "Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me. I make
known the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please."
Jeremiah 32:27: "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is
anything too hard for me?"
Daniel 4:34-35: "Then I praised the Most High; I honored and
glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His
kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are
regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the
peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand, or say to Him: "What
have you done."
Matthew 10:29: "Are not two
sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart
from the will of your Father."
John 10:28: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and
the Father are one."
Ephesians 1:11: "In Him we also were chosen, having been
predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of His will..."
Ephesians 2:1 "For we are God's workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to
do."
Colossians 2:9: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the
head over every power and authority."
Revelation 19:6: "Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent
reigns!"
May
the knowledge of His sovereignty lead you into deeper communion and greater
adoration, Pastor Jeff
