THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By D. Abraham

MANY people today are questioning the sovereignty of God, bewildered and perplexed by the trend of events and say, “WHY DOES NOT GOD INTERVENE?”

With plane crashes, tornadoes, floods, crime and evil of all kinds, they ask “where is God in the scheme of things?” Finding no answer they perhaps lose their faith.

The faith of everyone is on trial today, and if our faith is not strongly and deeply rooted it may not be able to stand the strain, but to believers who study the Bible, and know the plan of God, it is not difficult to understand, for the Bible has the answers to life and death.

It is quite interesting to hear what other people are thinking. The other day I came across an article written by a Professor in Philadelphia, who is a clergy-man in St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington Valley. This is what he had to say.

“The condition of the world today is such that many are beginning to wonder whether the classical doctrine of the Absolute Sovereignty of Almighty God can still have any meaning. Human society is in such a state of seething unrest, quite apart from natural calamities.”

People have completely neglected and ignored God, and have become estranged from God, from their fellow man, and at times it seems from themselves.

Does anyone care any more? Look what we have to put up with –  ever increasing cost of living and all the other problems, the material world has completely taken over and evil is rampant everywhere. Is it any good asking “why does God not intervene?” Can we blame God? Do you remember what Shakespeare said? “… the fault dear Brutus is not in the stars, but in ourselves, for we are underlings.” Nothing to do with God at all, He is still in control. God has at times taken action and will again, take much greater action when the time comes, and no doubt will be very effective.

The churches, even though so many, seem to be powerless. Thousands of sermons heard and books written but where are we? In greater chaos than ever – as H.G. Wells said, “… there is no way out, round or through, Homo-Sapiens is at the end of his tether. ”

Part of the trouble is that we have not yet realised the greatness of God, Almighty, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent. It is so easy to sing “My God How Great Thou Art,” but do we not realise the greatness of the power of creation, atomic power, the basic power of the Universe, which keeps it running day and night.

Today evolution is making great strides everywhere. I once heard a sermon by a famous preacher, given in a church full of young people. He held forth on life being evolved from slime, that became mud, that became reptile, that became fish which had a mother instinct and produced some young, followed by monkeys and finally MAN!!!

We believe that God created man in His own irnage, the whole of creation is dependent upon God who upholds the Universe by the POWER OF HIS WORD.

In the 104th Psalm verse 24 we read: “O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom Thou hast made them all.” Year after year we see the unfailing sequence of the seasons – GOD’S PROVIDENCE. “All things bright and beautiful the Lord God made them all.” Mankind influenced by Satanic powers have made the turmoil we are in, and marred that wonderful, perfect creation.

Another thing that strikes us very forcibly is the fact that we are told to overcome evil with good, hours and hours are spent as we deplore all that is going on, but do we hear hours of the good which will overcome it?

It is high time we realised the greatness of the Sovereignty of God. Time is going by so swiftly, soon the day will come and God’s judgments will be upon the earth, for we are told in the Apostle’s Creed that Jesus who sits at God’s right hand, will come to judge the quick (living) and the dead. We must put our house in order for this. God will not be mocked, He will not see His beautiful creation ruined. One day, perhaps sooner than we think, universal judgment will purge the whole of creation of all that is unjust, and bring in a reign of Righteousness and Peace.

World O World of muddled men,

Seek the peace of God again,

In the troubled faith that kneels

In the hallowed word that heals,

In the hope that answers doubt

Love that drives the darkness out

Frantic, frightened, foolish men

Take God by the Hand again.

(Author of poem unknown)

With acknowledgment to LOOK UP