In Control: The Sovereignty of God

God is in control.  He is always on the throne.  Always.  He is Sovereign over all things and nothing takes Him by surprise.  Nothing.  He is a good and gracious and loving God and He is not a bit bashful about His total otherness.  He does not hesitate to proclaim His Sovereignty.  This He often does in Scripture through questions allowing His hearer to grasp a mere glimmer of just who He is and who they are.  Piercing questions.  All in an effort for them to go “further still” in their knowledge of Him of which there is no end of knowing.

A quick look at Job serves as our perfect example.  Most know the story.  God allowed Satan to sift blameless Job as wheat.  In a matter of minutes, everything worldly was stripped from the man - including his ten children.  All ten.  Next, his health was ripped from him leaving him scratching his painful sores with bits of broken clay.  God had trusted this chosen vessel enough to suffer knowing he would continue to maintain his faith.  Much to the adversary’s displeasure.  Towards the end of Job’s suffering, God asks him to “brace himself like a man” for questioning.  God proceeds to present a litany of questions – four chapters worth to be exact.   Of which Job had no idea how to answer – no surprise.  No one does.  Beginning with “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?”, God proceeds through question after question revealing Job’s total inability (as well as our own) to respond rightly.  This demonstrated to Satan and all of us who have read it over the centuries to the present day, God’s Sovereignty over all.  Through this trial, God graciously gave Job further insight into Who He is.  Job’s reaction?  Repentance.  Correct response Job.