Is God really in control?
When a well-meaning Christian says “God is in control,” they typically mean that God makes things happen, or stops them from happening, at random. But the Bible teaches us that God’s sovereignty is an essential aspect of who He is and that He has absolute authority over all things. “The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand’” (Isaiah 14:24).
Nothing is random or comes by chance, especially not in the lives of believers. God will never say, “Whoa, I didn’t see that one coming!” God has resolved to do what He will do, and nothing or no one stands in His way. “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isaiah 46:10).
This is our powerful, purposeful God who is in control of everything. Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” A well-known actor said recently, “I don't know if there is a God, but if there is, he's got a lot of explaining to do.”
No, God doesn’t have to explain a single thing.
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“When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen” (Isaiah 60:22b). Some say this verse is a reminder that God will do what He needs to do, even when people, Hell, or one's flesh think he shouldn't. Others say that it's a reminder to trust in God's assurance that everything will fall into place in His perfect timing.
But how much power does God actually have? God's complete sovereignty over the entire creation stands in stark contrast to open theism, which holds that God is ignorant of the future, and He must continually alter His purposes and respond to the actions of sinful creatures exercising their free will. However, believing that our assistance, cooperation, or exercise of free will is necessary for Him to carry out His purposes places us in charge of Him, making us gods.
Where have we heard that lie before? It's a repetition of the old delusion spread by Satan in the Garden: “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). Our freedom of choice extends only to the extent that God grants it to us. “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35).
No one's free will can override God's omnipotence. Some people find it interesting to believe that God is continuously changing His plans to account for Satan's tricks and that Satan controls a certain amount of life. The Book of Job provides a crystal-clear example of who is in charge and who is not. In essence, Satan approached God and said, “Job serves you only because you protect him.” God therefore permitted Satan to harm Job in certain ways but not in others (Job 1:6-22).
Is Satan capable of more than that? No. Satan and his minions are under God's authority, and they make constant attempts to obstruct God's purposes. Satan was aware of God’s Old Testament plan for Jesus to come to earth, be betrayed, crucified, and rise again as the salvation of mankind. And if there was any way to keep that from happening, Satan would have done it.
According to Acts 2:23, Jesus was “delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.” Nothing the Romans, Pharisees, Judas, or anybody else did prevented God's plan from coming to pass precisely as He had intended it to from the beginning of time. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” which tells us that God had to be present to start the beginning; God was here before the beginning began.
We were selected in Him before the world was created, according to Ephesians 1. God intended for us to be saved via faith in Jesus. This means that to save us before He created us, God pieced together Satan's rebellion, Adam and Eve's sin, the fall of the human race, and Christ’s death and crucifixion. This is the epitome of how God uses everything for the good, according to Romans 8:28.
Ultimately, knowing God is the only path to tranquility in His omnipotent rule. Gain confidence in Him by being aware of His qualities and His past accomplishments. “The people who know their God shall be strong, and perform great exploits,” according to Daniel 11:32b.
Imagine such power in the hands of a god who is unjust and evil or a god who genuinely has no concern for us. However, since our God's goodness, love, mercy, compassion, faithfulness, and holiness overshadow it, we can rejoice in His sovereignty.
But how can we trust someone we do not know? The only way to know God is through His Word. 2 Timothy 3:15 tells us, “And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
The Bible is the only book that can completely transform our lives from the inside out. It requires regular, focused work to recognize the God who is in charge of everything. The sovereignty of God will be revealed if we drink deeply from His Word and allow it to fill our minds and hearts. We will then rejoice in it because we will know firsthand and be able to fully trust the only God who controls all things for His perfect purpose.
Tom Kepler, a 7-year employee of Medi-Share, has degrees in Fine Arts and Public Relations. A previous career as a travel agent has given Tom a love for traveling — particularly cruising. Tom is also the author of the book High Style on the High Seas, the history of famous French ocean liner Ile de France.
