Practical Implications of the Sovereignty of God

July, 2002

by: Jeff Jones

God is the King and the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. He does whatever He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. No one can thwart Him or hinder Him. He is in complete control of every event that has occurred or ever will occur. Moreover, all things, all events and all creatures are completely dependent upon Him. Simply stated: God is sovereign; He is in complete control of everything.

Most Christians I know would intellectually concur with the statement above, but upon examining their behavior in various circumstances one might wonder if they truly believe God is sovereign. If God truly knows all things, and if God is truly in control of every circumstance, and everything truly works out for God's own glory, then Christians should have a positive response in every situation, even in bad situations. Anything short of the right response shows a practical disbelief in the sovereignty of God. Consider the following scenarios and think about how a person who believes God is sovereign should respond:

1. You are stuck in traffic.
2. You are diagnosed with a terminal illness.
3. You are experiencing financial hardship.
4. You are 40 and still single.
5. You lose an athletic contest.
6. You have been fired from a job.
7. You have experienced the death of a family member or friend.
8. You have been dumped by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
9. Your computer crashes.
10. You are at a church without a Music Pastor.

Have any of the above caused you to grumble, gripe or complain, become anxious or worry, or even doubt God? These kind of responses show a practical disbelief in the sovereignty of God. Complaining only shows that you think you deserve something better and that God doesn't know what He is doing; anxiousness only shows a lack of trust in God. The right response is always to praise God for what He is doing, knowing He works all things out for good (Rom 8:28).