God is sovereign. You hear Reformed teachers say this constantly, but what does this mean? He is absolutely sovereign but not in the way you might think He is. There is a perception that everything that happens must be because God willed it to happen. If someone gets sick or a natural disaster happens, some will believe that because it happened it was God’s will. Simply because something happened does not mean God wanted it to happen. God never wants us to sin, yet we still fall short. The truth is simple; we live in a fallen world with fallen people. God has given us the ability to choose and make decisions over our life. This is why having wisdom is so important.
This word sovereign is used 303 times in the Old Testament of the New International Version. This word, “sovereign” is not used in the King James Version of the Bible. Instead the King James Version uses the words, “LORD God.” I believe that the true definition of God being sovereign is that He is highest in rank and authority. Yet this does not mean that He controls every situation. A king leads a nation, but does not make every decision. God is sovereign, but He does not control everything. Instead God has given us the ability to make decisions.
God wants us to make Him the Lord of our lives. When we have questions about what to do, we are called to go to God. This is why prayer and reading God’s word is important. If your answer is not clear, we are called to make the best decision possible with the wisdom God gives us. Andrew Wommack once wrote, “If we believe that God wills everything, good or bad, to happen to us, it gives us some temporary relief from confusion and condemnation, but in the long-term, it slanders God, hinders our trust in God, and leads to passiveness.
John 10:10 tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Quite clearly we can see who wants destruction for our lives. This thief that this verse is referring to is the devil. I think we have to get back to a basic understanding that the devil is bad and God is good. In the Bible we have many verses that can be connected to other Scriptures to give us a better understanding of a topic. James 1:17 tells us what God’s true nature is; it says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Notice that, “Every good thing” is from God, and it is the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. When we read both of these passages we can God’s heart better.
God has a desire that everyone call on the name of the Lord, but sadly not everyone does. Everyone is given the opportunity to be saved. Ultimately you follow the path God has for you or you follow your own. God guides us, but He does not force us. Our role in life is, thus, very important because God wants us to make wise choices.