The Joy Of God’s Sovereignty

Like many, I love the Psalms. It is a treasure chest of comfort and encouragement. This week I was reading in Psalm 115. When I came to verse 3 my heart quickened in excitement. I read the words, “For our God is in the heavens, and He does as He wishes.” Why did that make me excited? Because it reminded me of the sovereignty of God.

The dictionary definition of sovereignty is: one that exercises supreme, permanent authority.

I’ve heard it said by some, that to think of God as supreme, makes them feel afraid. They mistakingly see God as a huge thunderbolt in the sky, looking for some reason to strike in anger. This is a misconstrued view of our Holy God who loves so perfectly and deeply, that He sent His only Son to pay a price that sets us free from our sins; a price that you and I could have never paid. That’s love in its purity.

You see, when we accept God’s undeserved love, and when we understand that indeed, “our God is in the heavens, and He does as He wishes,” then we grow to realize the joy of what that entails. Since our God is supreme and has permanent authority, then our God has authority over all that comes into our lives, and over all that crosses our paths. Since He is a God of perfect love, then His authority over us is always, without exception, exercised in perfect love toward us. When we realize that our perfect, loving God, is making plans for our lives, taking what was meant for bad and turning it into our good (Romans 8:28) then — that’s reason for great joy.

When our joy grows because we live under the authority of the one and only, perfect, loving God, then our confidence in Him becomes steadfast. When our confidence is steadfast, nothing wavering, then peace that passes all understanding floods our souls, easing away the anxieties that beset us, and gently fills us instead with a holy joy. Why? Because our Sovereign God is in control and He does as He wishes, and He wishes to change our quivering hearts into courageous determination, undaunted by the troubles of this world.

One of my all time favorite hymns, It Is Well With My Soul was written by Horatio G Spafford in 1873. Here is the first verse:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

How truly wonderful and loving, that the one and only, supreme God in the heavens, does exactly as He wishes — and He wishes to bless us with everything we need to face anything at all — always.