The reason I believe in God and worship him is because he is
before all things, he created all things, he upholds all things, he is above
all things, he knows all things, he accomplishes all things, he rules over all
things, and he is in control of all things. That’s the reason I believe him and
have given my entire life to him in faith and in trust that he is superior to
all the other truth-claims in the world. He is not just another “-ism” out
there to be considered. He is infinite and eternal, over-all and worthy above
all. I worship him because he is sovereign.
Within the salad bar of the world’s religions, we haven’t
simply come up with a nice little system that takes a little bit from here and
a little from there. God is not just one option among many. I worship a God who
from a natural and limited earthly perspective; has made outrageous,
ridiculous, exclusive, “narrow” claims about himself. He insists that he, and
he alone, is to be worshiped.
Just think about what God says of himself:
He is before all things; all things hold together in him. He
was there before the mountains were born, he brought forth the earth, he is the
Alpha and Omega, and he alone is immortal.
(Ps. 90:2; Col. 1:17; 1 Tim. 6:16;
Rev. 1:8)
He created all things, both in heaven and on earth, both
visible and invisible.
(Gen. 1:1; John 1:3; Col. 1:16)
He upholds all things, sustaining everything, holding it
together by his Word.
(Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3)
He is above all things, specifically so that people in China,
the U.S., South America, and everywhere, may know him. (Isa. 45:5-12; Eph. 4:6)
He knows all things. He isn’t a limited God. God knows
everything completely before it happens. (Ps. 139:4, 6; Isa. 46:10)
He can do all things. Nothing is too difficult for him!
Nothing—not anything—is impossible with him. (Jer. 32:27; Luke 1:37)
He accomplishes all things. He orchestrates and determines
what he is going to do in your life, in my life, in the president’s life, in
war-torn countries with rebellious rulers—everywhere! Whatever he plans in this
world and for this universe, he does. (Isa. 14:24; 46:10; Eph. 1:11)
He rules over all things. This is what sovereignty is. All
strength and power are in his hands.
(1 Chron. 29:11-12; Dan. 4:34-35)
He is in control of all things. Whenever the economy goes
sour, or whenever earthly kings rage out of control, God is in control. When
Satan wants to mess with your life, he has to ask God’s permission. (Job 4:2;
Rom. 8:28)
If you want specific examples of what exactly is under God’s
control, take a look at the following verses:
Earthly kings (Prov. 21:1; Rev. 19:16)
Human events (Ps. 33:9-11; Dan. 2:7)
Good angels (Col. 1:15-16; Rev. 4:8)
Satan and fallen angels (Job 1:6; Eph. 1:21; Phil. 2:10)
Human decisions (Acts 2:23; 13:48; Rom 8:29-30; Eph. 1:11)
God makes numerous claims about himself in the Bible that
many other religious systems don’t even attempt to rival. When he claims his
sovereignty, he is pointing to himself as the ultimate source of all power,
authority, and everything that exists.
sovereign—adj. 1:
above or superior to all others; chief; greatest; supreme 2: supreme in power,
rank, or authority 3: of or holding the position of ruler; royal; reigning 4:
independent of all others 5: excellent; outstanding - n. 1: a person who
possesses sovereign authority or power; specifically, a monarch or ruler.
When I think of sovereignty, the phrase I like best is that
“God is in control.” That’s such a comfort. When a loved one lies in a hospital
bed, God is in control. When we think of our most difficult times with a child,
God is in control. When a close friend is in ICU, God is in control. When the
economy—national or personal—is on a slide, God is in control. Nothing will
enter your life that God does not either decree or allow. And nothing will ever
enter your life that, if you are willing to trust in him, he cannot work out
for your good.
That’s what it means to be sovereign. Because God is
sovereign, he is without equal: the King of kings, the Lord of lords, without
limitation in any way. He is the only absolutely free being in the universe.
I love A. W. Tozer’s explanation of sovereignty in his book The
Knowledge of the Holy:
Quick Definition - God’s sovereignty is the attribute by
which He rules His entire creation, and to be sovereign God must be
all-knowing, all-powerful, and absolutely free. The reasons are these: Were
there even one datum of knowledge, however small, unknown to God, His rule
would break down at that point. To be Lord over all creation, He must possess
all knowledge. And were God lacking one infinitesimal modicum of power, that
lack would end His reign and undo His kingdom; that one stray atom of power
would belong to someone else and God would be a limited ruler and hence not
sovereign. Furthermore, His sovereignty requires that He be absolutely free,
which means simply that He must be free to do whatever He wills to do anywhere
at any time to carry out His eternal purpose in every single detail without
interference. Were He less than free, He must be less than sovereign.
When you bow your head to pray—when you’re in a jam and you
need to ask God for something—are you aware of who you’re talking to? The one
to whom you pray has power over the entire universe, over every single atom,
and yet he is infinitely loving and he cares about you. That’s who you’re
talking to. That’s why we worship him.
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