Who will win the election? Who does God want me to marry? What does this bad report from the doctor mean? Why did my ex break up with me? How will the economy affect me and my family? What if the person I did not vote for becomes president? When will God show me my calling?
Life is full of so many questions. Every day brings new concerns, new issues, and new tests for our faith in Jesus as his followers. While God does care about the details of our lives, while our individual choices certainly do have a good and bad consequences, and while we are not called to just stick our head in the sand and ignore the issues we see all around us, as Christians, ultimately God always expects us to remember his sovereignty so we might fully trust him.
So here are 3 signs God is saying, “Trust my sovereignty!”
1. If You Are Fearful Because of Someone’s Power, This Is a Sign God Is Telling You to Trust His Sovereignty
We live in a world that has many earthly power structures to it. There are different nations that have different leaders. Within those nations there are different levels of authority. And then even in our own personal lives, there are bosses at work, gang leaders in neighborhoods, and even leaders amongst our friend groups and family units.
In our humanness, it makes sense to fear those people who have power but that we believe are bad people. But this is not right for a follower of Christ because we are supposed to be the ones in this world who have faith in the one true God. One powerful example of this is found in Daniel 3 when Nebuchadnezzar demanded that everyone worship the golden image he made. Daniel 3:15-18 (NIV) states:
‘But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’”
They were not trying to decide if God is in control. They didn’t say, “Hey, if God saves us from the furnace, we were the ones who were right. But if God decides not to save us, then that means we were wrong and God is not sovereign.” No, they accepted God’s sovereignty before they even knew the outcome of what was going to happen.
Likewise, as Christians, God calls us to have the type of faith that is not dependent upon what will happen. Rather, God calls us to have the type of faith that knows God’s is still sovereign even if things occur that we think are bad.
There’s never a reason to fear human power because ultimately God truly is sovereign and in control no matter what does or does not happen.
2. If You Are Confident Because of Someone’s Power, This Is a Sign God Is Telling You to Trust His Sovereignty
While a fear of man is a more obvious sign that we must increase our trust in God’s sovereignty, it is just as clear a sign that we need more trust in God’s power when we are putting too much trust in human authority.
Sometimes things do go our way on this planet. Sometimes the person you voted for does win. Sometimes you do get to date that person you always wanted to date. Sometimes you do get your dream job. Sometimes you feel your boss is the best boss ever. Sometimes the surgery was very successful. My point is, it’s in these times too were God is calling us to remember he is the one who is actually in control still.
God used Moses not only to discipline the people when they did bad, but he also used Moses to warn the people how to handle the good times that were coming for them when they finally did enter into the promise land. In Deuteronomy 8:17-20, it states:
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
Even when things go the way you think they should go, God still deserves all of our trust. Yes, your choices matter. Your hard work does often pay off. But “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth . . .” You have to use that power. You have to work hard. But it is God who gives the power.
So no matter who has the power, no matter if you think someone is really going to do a great job with that power, and even when you get the things you have been wanting a long time in your personal life, remember: God is still calling you to trust in his sovereignty.
3. If You Are Seeking Comfort from Worldly Experts, This Is a Sign God Is Telling You to Trust His Sovereignty
Our hearts crave comfort. We just want to be happy. We just want to be safe. We long to have some peace. These good desires, however, often lead us to put our hope in what we can see rather than in the One we can’t currently see. While God can use earthly experts for good, never put your hope in them because it is God alone who can save. As Psalm 146:3-6 explains:
Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever . . .”
Leaders die. Relationships end. Money gets spent. New political parties are elected. Health comes and goes. But God alone can save you forever through Jesus Christ. He alone deserves all of our trust.