In Proverbs 21:1 we are reminded that the king’s word was law, His authority over his realm was unconditional and unrestrained, yet we are reminded that God controls the king’s heart, and he will not do anything that the Lord does not allow. Here we are reminded that God intervenes in the hearts of people so that they make decisions and carry out actions that accomplish God’s purpose for our lives. This is done in such a way that these people make their decisions and carry out their plans by their own free and voluntary choices (cf. book of Habakkuk). We must understand that if God is not sovereign in the decisions and actions of other people as they affect us, then there is a whole major area of our lives where we cannot trust God. What does this mean for us? It means that God uses the decisions and actions of people to accomplish His purposes and that in doing so He has a plan and purpose not only for our lives but the lives of those making decisions that affect us. We must remember that God is moving history toward the coming of Christ’s kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6), and … READ MORE

All of us at times find ourselves and our futures seemingly in the hands of other people. Their decisions or their actions determine whether we get a good grade or poor one, whether we are promoted or fired, whether our careers blossom or fold. Sometimes those decisions or actions are benevolent, and sometimes they are wicked or careless. Either way they do affect us, often in a significant way. How are we to respond when we find ourselves seemingly in the hands of someone else? We need to understand that we can trust God, and understand the words of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 who said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me [when they sold him into slavery]; But God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” We need to remember that what is happening to us right now, has a greater purpose, and reason. We may never completely understand what that purpose or reason is, but it will be manifest in history. Sometimes, like Joseph we can look back in hindsight and recognize the plan of God, sometimes we do not get that answer, but … READ MORE

We can rest in the knowledge that God does have a purpose and plan for me, and that God ahs the power to carry out that plan. It is one thing to know that no person or circumstance can touch us outside of God’s sovereign control; it is still another to realize that no person or circumstance can frustrate God’s purpose for our lives. God has a over-arching purpose for all believers and according to Romans 8:29, that is to conform us into the likeness of His Son and to make us the beginning of a relational line for the kingdom. The reality is that God has tailor made a plan for each life, and because we know God is directing our lives to an ultimate end, and because we know He is sovereignly able to orchestrate the events of our lives toward that end, we can trust Him and rest in the midst of our circumstances. From our limited vantage point, our lives are marked by an endless series of contingencies, and we frequently find ourselves reacting to an unexpected turn of events, But the truth is that God is never surprised, or caught off guard, and is never … READ MORE