Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The sovereignty of the Lord

Isaiah 46:10 (NKJV): Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'

Isaiah 48:12-13 (NKJV): "Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand up together."

These verses above show us that the Lord is sovereign in all His ways, and He knows exactly what He is doing. Man may plan, but it is He who has full say and final say. Indeed, He sees further and farther than anyone of us can ever see.

So, what does this word 'sovereign' mean? In Oxford Dictionary, the definition of 'sovereign' is 'having complete power or the greatest power'.

In the context of the Lord's sovereignty, this word can therefore be defined as 'having complete power to govern, i.e. governing His kingdom, which is above all the kingdoms (or ways) of man in this world'.

In short, the Lord's sovereignty simply means 'He is in control', even if many in this world think He isn't.

In 1 Timothy 6:12-15 (NKJV), the apostle Paul exhorted his spiritual son Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things... that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords."

Let's look at the same verses in English Standard Version (ESV): "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things... to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will display at the proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords."

See the word 'Sovereign' here? It is written as 'Potentate' in NKJV. This word is 'dunastes' in Greek, from the word 'dunamai' meaning 'be able, be possible'. In other words, the Lord is the only One who is able, and who makes all things possible when no other 'king', 'kingdom', 'lord', or 'lordship' can on earth. 

People of God, maybe you are going through a difficult time in your life at the moment, and you've been asking questions like, "Where were you Lord?", or "Why did you allow certain things to happen?" 

Admittedly, there can be times in life you just cannot understand why the Lord does what He does, or why the Lord allow something to happen. But this doesn't mean the Lord is not in control. Your part is to be patient and endure, and keep looking to Him and trusting in His wisdom. Yes, look to Him, and not to man. Because He always see further and farther than us, and He knows exactly what He is doing. Indeed, He knows how to work things out for good in your life, according to His sovereign plan and timing.

In His sovereignty and His redemption plans, Jesus had to endure humiliation, pain, betrayal, rejection, and be crucified on the cross. Seemingly a defeat in the world's physical eyes (and the devil thought he had defeated Jesus), the Lord eventually had the ultimate victory, even in the most unexpected or unimaginable ways. Darkness says, "It's impossible!" because darkness thought he has won. But the Lord is higher, greater, and smarter!

The same it is in whatever difficult situation you may be going through at the moment, and you are still waiting for that breakthrough to come. Take heart, because the Lord your God knows how to manifest it in His own time and display it at the proper time! Because He is the King of (all) kings, and the Lord of (all) lords!

Continue to submit to Him and draw near to Him (James 4:5-8). In His (perfect) time, He will make all things beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Indeed, He is still your faithful God who is at the throne. In Jesus' name. Amen!