Sovereign

God is good all the time. God is faithful. God is sovereign.

Yesterday's church service was amazing. Stu Weber spoke on the sovereignty of God and both Justin and I came away so refreshed. If interested, I highly recommend listening to the sermon which can be accessed on Good Shepherd Community Church's website.

A lot of thoughts have been muling around my head since church yesterday and I thought I'd try to make some sense of them on here. Lately, I've been studying a lot of the Old Testament - primarily through the Face to Face bible readings at church. Couple this with last years study of the Pentetuch (first 5 books of the OT) from women's bible study, and I've suddenly developed a thirst and excitement for this part of the Bible. It is full of God's love for His people - regardless of how many times they ignore, deny Him, or spit in His face. From the very beginning, it points to and prophesies the return of Jesus. And, it is an incredible example of parenting...unconditional love even amongst testing and strong will. Incredible how God meets you where you need it most. :)

A song we sung in church yesterday was "Great is Thy Faithfulness." Although I really enjoy contemporary worship, there's just something about singing the classics. Wow! For what seemed liked the first time - I focused on the text of the song and was immediately brought to tears.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

God is faithful and sovereign - regardless of what is happening in the world, nation, city, or my home. Although it seems like everything is spinning out of control right now, God is in control. The thing is, we just can't see the whole picture. We question if God is really there. I mean, does God know about the war and what it is doing to the nations over there, besides the families over here who are sending soldiers to fight - many times repeatedly?? Does God know about the terrorists?? Does God care about broken marriages, untimely deaths, the economy, loss of jobs, and an untruthful political climate?? Of course He does.

There is sin and evil in this world. God knows that, He allowed that by giving us freewill, and He is in control. God works the evil for GOOD. The thing is, we just can't see the whole picture. If we could understand God, understand the way He works, then He wouldn't be much of a God. If I could figure out how to solve the world's problems, let alone the problems in my community and home - then why place my trust in a god? The thing is, I can't. God sees the whole picture and I definitely don't. I never will. Something that may not make ANY sense right now, that may be painful and horribly unpleasant, can still be used by God for a greater purpose. I have to trust. He is faithful. He is sovereign.

A great quote from C.S. Lewis: "Our first words in Heaven will be, 'Oh, of course!'" Suddenly it will all be clear. Suddenly we will see the whole picture. Suddenly we will truly understand that God is God and we are not. Believe it or not, God is bigger than us and knows better. He has a plan. God is faithful and God is sovereign.

I find this as a great encouragement. Takes the pressure off, you know? Hopefully this makes sense to at least one person out there. And if not, that's ok too.