We often struggle with the Sovereignty of God because we do not appreciate the circumstances that come into our lives that we deem as evil or at least not in our best interest. In the book of Ruth, Naomi struggles with God’s sovereignty. On one hand she says in chapter 1verse 6 that, “The LORD has visited His people by giving them bread” but on the other hand, she says to her daughters-in-law to return to their mother’s houses with the prayer that “The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.” (1:8). She goes on to pray in chapter 1 verse 9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” As we read those statements carefully, and begin to connect the dots that lead to a bitter heart, we see that there is a significant difference in speaking about God in a limited, skewed fashion and speaking about him in a robust, complete way. In Naomi’s heart, the LORD had let her down, and her daughters-in-law were just as well off worshipping a god of Moab as the god of Israel. The challenging reality here is that a person can talk about God and even emphasize certain attributes of God without believing He is a good and rightful king. Understand that the cracks in our theology will be small at first, but those cracks will open up huge holes that will lead to bitterness. We usually loose perspective because we are focused on the immediate and not on the eternal. God has a plan for us and the world and is working that plan out through the events that He permits. We need to realize that God’s plan develops over time, and as we walk through the circumstances of life, we can learn what that plan is. Trusting God is a choice that we make each day, as we begin the day. We don’t know what we will face, but we do know that God will see us through because He has the right, the power, and the desire to do so. Make the choice to trust Him in the midst of your circumstances.
