Resting in God’s Sovereignty
By Mark Rasche
Most believers learn to trust in God’s sovereignty; but how many of us actually rest in it?
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. (Psalm 139:1-4)
While intellectual assent is an important building block of our faith, there’s a much greater level of spiritual growth available to anyone passionately pursuing God. It’s through this heartfelt pursuit that we can experience a restful, Spirit-led freedom that the world can’t begin to comprehend. Freedom from stress, worry, sorrow, anxiety, and fear. Freedom to be filled with an inexpressible joy and deep-rooted peace that only the Lord can provide.
But what about those twists and turns?
Much to our chagrin, unexpected news and circumstances are indelibly baked into our daily lives. And our attempts to “control” our routines with checklists and calendars is an exercise in futility. The truth is we’ll never escape life’s unforeseen events. They’re as certain as the sunrise.
Have you ever stopped and considered that God is never caught off guard? When we’re surprised, His sovereignty remains steadfast. When we're startled, He reigns supreme. When we face the unpredictable, His preeminence perseveres.
PHOTO: Ben White / Unsplash
God is NEVER taken off guard…
Let that sink in for a moment! Our awesome Triune God has never experienced an accident, surprise, or coincidence – in the heavenlies, or on earth. In fact, there has never been, nor will there ever be, a single incident that isn’t already foreknown by Him.
So how should we respond to our Creator’s remarkable sovereignty?
Ominous news headlines may stir our emotions, but Christ followers possess an anchor for our storm-tossed souls – one that is both “sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18-20). This anchor of hope is eternally secured by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, providing everlasting access to the Holy of Holies.
Financial crises often come out of left field, but our sovereign God owns the “cattle on a thousand hills.” “All the birds of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field” belong to Him (Psalm 50:10-11). And moreover, the entire “earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1).
Health challenges will inevitably come our way, but God is the Great Physician who is always able to bring miraculous healing when He wills to do so. And if we must wait until we receive glorified bodies, we can always rest in that rock-solid blessed assurance of knowing the more important healing has already transpired. By His stripes we’ve been healed from sin through Christ’s redemption (Isaiah 53:5).
For our light affliction, which is for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Scripture instructs us to “count it all joy” when we experience various types of unexpected trials, and that our patience increases when our faith is tested. God wants us to embrace this process so that we “may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).
Resting in God’s sovereignty is directly tied to being “filled with the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19) and thus experiencing “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). The recipe is simple, yet profound. Less of us. More of Him.
The more we focus on the temporal things of this world, the more troubled our hearts will be. But the more we pursue God, saturate ourselves in Scripture, and truly comprehend the magnitude of our Creator’s sovereignty, the more we will be ushered into unbridled worship and a supernatural rest that flows directly from God’s throne of Grace.
Mark Rasche is a husband, father, and grandfather. Mark has a diversified background consisting of numerous entrepreneurial endeavors and executive ministry roles over the past thirty years. His core passions are discipleship, teaching, and writing.
He has been the CEO of a Christian media company for the past decade. Mark and his wife have been married for forty years and they currently reside in Southern Idaho.