“God Is Sovereign” Meaning
What Does It Mean to Say That God is Sovereign?
A Bible teacher I am not, but to answer the question of God’s Sovereignty, we can first take a look at its definition.
According to dictionary.com, the word “Sovereign” means “supreme power or authority.” (Dictionary.com, n.d.)1
I believe that secular definition is a pretty good description, but our ultimate authority on this is the Word of God.
Let’s take a look. This is from a Psalm of David.
24 The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who live in it.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.
3 Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place? – Psalm 24:1-3, (NASB).2
The first line of Psalm 24 is pretty clear, isn’t it?
The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains . . .
God is Sovereign and Controls Everything
God is in control of everything. As a divine attribute of His Sovereignty, nothing can stop Him from His intended purposes.
As sinful humans, we don’t like not being in control.
It’s interesting that when God does not “intervene” (by human standards) in a crisis situation, some will question His power and majesty.
Do you remember that outrageous 2015 headline, “God isn’t fixing this” which also referenced prayer as “meaningless platitudes”?
How sad is it that people actually still think that way.
Here’s the truth:
God has the ability to do anything, to take action and intervene in any situation, but He often chooses to act indirectly or to allow certain things for reasons of His own. His will is furthered in any case. God’s “sovereignty” means that He is absolute in authority and unrestricted in His supremacy. Everything that happens is, at the very least, the result of God’s permissive will. This holds true even if certain specific things are not what He would prefer. The right of God to allow mankind’s free choices is just as necessary for true sovereignty as His ability to enact His will, wherever and however He chooses. – Got Questions website.3
The fact is we live in a sinful world, and we will suffer.
Whether it’s illness, or persecution, or anything else.
The Bible warns us about the sufferings we will experience in this life.
If God is Sovereign, Then Why Won’t He Stop Evil?
God’s sovereignty in a sinful world is a tough topic for many people.
The importance of God “allowing” actions as part of His sovereignty cannot be overstated. God’s causing the basis for an act to occur does not mean He is a responsible moral agent for the act. The moral responsibility for intentionally evil acts falls on those who commit the acts themselves. – Got Questions website.4
We won’t understand the concept of sovereignty perfectly. As the Bible says, His ways are not our ways.
Simply put, as our Creator, the world belongs to God so it’s His to do with as He wishes.
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
If God is Sovereign, Then Why Pray?
God’s Sovereignty is exactly the reason we should pray. He sees and hears our every cry.
We are talking to the One who created the heavens and the earth and the One who created you and me.
We should be falling on our knees in reverence and praise.
Trusting in God’s Sovereignty helps give us more peace about a situation.
Why?
Because it takes the pressure off of us in a lot of ways.
We can rest in the peace that God is in control no matter what is going on.
And, as Christians, we have nothing to fear.
He loves us in every sense of the word.
We were created by Him and for Him and God wants us with Him for eternity.
Our modern day sufferings are just for a little while.
Because we know the end of “His Story” (the Bible) we have all the reason to praise Him, to have great faith through the storm.
This is one of the many reasons that we can delight in God.
As prophesied in the Bible, we will have tough days ahead, but stay strong.
Dear friends in Christ, Jesus our Lord and Savior is coming back someday!
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1 Sovereign. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sovereign
2 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
3 Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “What does it mean that God is sovereign? n.d., para. 6. Web. Accessed March 31, 2023. God’s Sovereignty.
4 Quotation from go Sovereigntytions.org, from “Is God sovereign over death? n.d., para. 7. Web. Accessed March 31, 2023. https://www.gotquestions.org/is-God-sovereign-over-death.html
