One of the toughest things for all of us earthly beings is to understand and to trust is God’s sovereignty. If we truly believe God is all knowing, all powerful, all abiding, all faithful, all-encompassing, and “the one supreme deity,” then we need to believe that nothing touches us that has not first passed through His hands.
Our recent battle with Louise’s infection, after two hip surgeries on the same hip, reminds us that at the end of the day God is in control. You can have the best prayer partners, greatest doctors, and a Mayo Clinic Hospital, but ultimately we are in His grip.
Excerpts from Psalm 83 help us appreciate God’s magnificence: “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For lo, thine enemies make a tumult” (Psalm 83:12 KJV). Our enemies are not always on the battlefields or have a title like ISIS, but can be such things as infection, disease, death, discouragement, doubt, or distress. The Psalmist proceeds to describe the enemies of Israel and the number of threats against the children of God. As the Psalm winds down we see the reverence shown to God: “So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled forever; yea, let them be put to shame and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth” (Psalm 83:15-18 KJV).
You may ask, “How will knowing all these theological terms help me grow closer to God?” The answer, my friend, deals with our ability to gain a greater understanding of a personal God who wishes to have deep fellowship with His creation. His diverse character is a source of rationality in a very confused and sinful world. In the full abundance of His nature, God transcends the universe—yet He manifests Himself in each attribute as we come to know Him more and more.
I came across this poem from an unknown source that inspired us to keep on keepin’ on.
I am not sent a pilgrim here,
My heart with earth to fill;
But I am here God’s grace to learn,
And serve God’s sovereign will.
He leads me on through smiles and tears,
Grief follows gladness still;
But let me welcome both alike,
Since both work out his will.
No service in itself is small,
None great, though earth it fill;
But that is small that seeks its own,
And great that seeks God’s will.
Then hold my hand, most gracious Lord,
Guide all my doings still;
And let this be my life’s one aim,
To do, or bear thy will.
Please pray that Louise can continue to feel the healing power of our loving God.
Personal Application
- What do you think the psalmist had in mind when he penned Psalm 83. Who or what was he hunting for?
- Because God is the kind of God He is, the Old Testament character Job wondered how a person could ever hope to approach Him, much less become right and acceptable before Him.
- How can a mere human being have a right relationship with a God who is perfectly holy, infinite, and mighty?
Jim Grassi, D. Min.