Is God Sovereign?

I have been preaching though the book of Acts at New Life Church where I currently pastor. As I have come into chapter 4, I have once again run face to face into the sovereignty of God. Basically, sovereignty is the belief that God is in control. Sovereignty is one of those theological ideas that each and every follower of Christ embraces academically, but sometimes struggles with when faced with practical opportunities to demonstrate their belief in it.

Peter and John in Acts chapter 4 are faced with a very real opportunity to demonstrate their faith in God’s sovereignty. They had just experienced God’s healing power as He worked through them to bring healing to a man who had been lame from birth. All the people were amazed at what had happened. Peter began to preach to the crowds about the power of the name of Christ and 5000 believed and were saved. But then, the religious leaders had Peter and John arrested and commanded them to never speak of the name of Christ again, or else.

What would you do? You and I will probably never be faced with a situation similar to this. But we do find ourselves faced with many opportunities to question God’s sovereignty. Is God really in control when hundreds of thousands die in a tsunami in the Indian Ocean? Is God really in control when thousands die in a hurricane or in a terrorist attack? Is God really in control when bad things strike even closer to home in the form of sickness, loss of job, death in the family, or when someone personally hurts you?

I recently found out that life was throwing some curve balls my way and I have had to really ask myself, “How much do I believe in God’s Sovereignty?” As I have prepared for my departure to serve as an Army Chaplain, I have begun to take steps to depart from the church I love so much. But I keep asking God who will take over. Do I really believe that this church belongs to Him? I was planning on leaving after Easter, but recently I found out that my father has cancer in his lungs, kidneys, liver, and his prostate. So now I will be leaving New Life Church after this Sunday to spend as much time with him as possible before I enter the Army in June.

I believe in the Sovereignty of God! But I am sure that I am about to discover what trust really means and what the sovereignty of God is really all about. Peter and John would suffer much in their lives as they followed hard after Christ. But notice how they responded when faced with adversity:

4:23-28 They recognized the Sovereignty of God in the face of Adversity
4:29 They prayed for Boldness in the face of Adversity
4:30 They prayed for God’s Power to be seen in the face of Adversity
4:31 They experienced the results of their faithfulness in the face of Adversity

As you face difficult times in your lives, find hope in the fact that God is in control. There is nothing that He is unaware of and that He cannot use for His glory and for your good.

Pastor Mark