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

The fact that Psalm 115:3 says, God “does whatever He pleases” often causes to view God as arbitrary or selfish. However, we must understand that this verse is couched in the attributes of God, and the knowledge that God will never do anything contrary to His nature. With that in mind, we are reminded by this passage and others like it that on one hand, no one can act and no circumstances can occur outside the bounds of God’s sovereign will. And on the other hand, No one can frustrate His plans or hinder his purposes. God doing as He desires is a statement of comfort to those who trust in Him, because we are brought to an understanding that God not only has the right to do what He wants, and the desire to accomplish His plan, but He also has the ability to carry that plan out. No one, nor no thing can keep God from accomplishing His plan for His creation. Everything that we do and experience is all apart of kingdom living. Isaiah 46:10 reminds us that God has said, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,” This counsel was established before … READ MORE