Sometimes in life, things don’t go the way we planned. In those moments, we have two options. We can get upset and say something like, “that’s not fair.” Or, we can not necessarily like what is happening, but we can express our trust in God. This is why believing in the sovereignty of God is such a comfort to the believer. Believing in God’s sovereignty doesn’t mean that we like everything going on in life, but rather it is trusting that God is in control of every situation whether it is good or bad and that He can change any situation. This is what our text today reminds us of. In the last chapter of Nehemiah, Nehemiah is remembering Israel’s history, including a story from the book of Numbers about a prophet for hire named Baalam. Nehemiah 13:1-2 says, “On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Baalam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.”
Baalam was hired by a king named Balak. Baalam had one job, curse Israel. However, every time he went to speak, God would cause Baalam to bless Israel instead of curse them. I am sure that God was making sure that Israel was reading this portion of the Book of Moses, which is the first five books of the Old Testament in our Bible today. He wanted to remind them of His power to change people and situations. But it was also serving as a warning to the children of Israel. Later in the chapter, Nehemiah comes in and essentially cleans house, because Israel had started going back to their old way of living. Nehemiah asks why would they do that, knowing that it was this type of living that caused God to punish them in the first place. As a side note, this is one of the biggest reasons that we need to remember our history, both the good and the bad, and preserve it. It’s not about celebrating everything we have ever done; rather, it is about learning from the mistakes we have made.
You and I have two choices, we can either believe that God is in control or believe that someone else is. Now, even if you choose to believe that God is not in control, it doesn’t mean that He isn’t in control. In our fallen condition, we like to think we can be in control, and that everything would work out great if we were. However, I want to give you a few reasons why God being in control is comforting.
- He is eternal, we are finite. There has never been a time in which God didn’t exist. We see this in John 1:1 and other places. However, there was a time in which you and I didn’t exist.
- He is all-powerful. God spoke creation into existence. By His word, everything is held together. He can shut the mouth of lions, protect people thrown into a fiery furnace, and rise from the dead. Because of His power, He can change a bad situation and make it into something good.
- He is all-knowing and wise. There is nothing that God doesn’t know. Yet, we only know what we know. The prophet Isaiah said that God knows that “end from the beginning.” Before God spoke the first words of creation, He already knew how He was going to end it and make all things new. I don’t even know what all is going to happen in my life today.
- He is loving and gracious. While we may not think this way when we are going through a loss of something or someone, God is still loving and gracious. His plan for His children is for His glory and our good. Maybe we had to lose something or someone to learn how valuable He is to us. God being sovereign is a comfort to a believer because we know that although things might not be good right now, He can change it all around if He wants to and if He knows it is best for us. On the other hand, We also know that if God chooses not to change the situation, there is a plan and a purpose for it. Either way, He is worthy to be praised, and He is doing what He knows is best for me.
Therefore, relax today and know that God already knows what is coming, why it is happening, and how it is all going to play out. There is a loving, gracious God who can change any person or situation He desires to. Everything that is happening is to help us love Him more and the world less.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin