What God's Sovereignty Means To Me

As the Christmas season is upon us I can't help but think how grateful I am that God in His sovereign plan made a way for us to become His children - joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17) - by sending His only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). There's nothing I could ever do to deserve such a gift (Ephesians 2:8). It's all grace, amazing grace.

This year I'm also struck by the fact that though it is often so easy to praise God for His sovereign will - like when it allows for my salvation, when He paints a gorgeous sunset, when he lays a healthy newborn in my arms - other times I must praise Him for His sovereignty through the haze of immeasurable grief. There are times when in my frail humanity I cannot even begin to grasp how he could possibly cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Yet I know He is always true to His word.

Knowing God is sovereign means knowing that my circumstances and the circumstances of those around me don't change who God is. He is still loving, kind, just, faithful, and gracious even when the house burns down, when cancer is diagnosed, when a parent passes away, or even when a child passes away.

As Job said after losing everything he had, including all ten of his children, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)

He is a God worthy of all my praise, always. I wouldn't want to worship a God I could understand, one I could fit in a neat little box. The fact that His ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9) and His plans are unfathomable to me makes Him worthy of all reverence, awe, honor, and praise.

I've titled this telling of my life's tales, my blog, "Bountifully Blessed" and I've thought recently 'what if I lost my husband, my children, my home - all those things I hold so dear - would I change the title?' My answer has to be an emphatic 'no.' I am blessed beyond measure simply because Christ came to earth and died for a wretch like me. If the only blessing in my life was my salvation I would have to know that that is enough. I would certainly struggle, mourn, and grieve the loss of any of my people or things (and I don't intend to downplay or undermine in any way those who have experienced such tragedy personally) but I know that in my own life I must reiterate to myself daily the fact that everything I have isn't really mine in the first place. All I have is the Lord's to do with as He sees fit for His kingdom purposes.

I know this post is much deeper and somber than most. I don't apologize for that. I've said all along my blog is about what's going on in my life - the good, the bad, the ugly - and right now these are my thoughts.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.