on His sovereignty

The English word "sovereign" is used over 200 times in the NIV translation of the book of Ezekiel, describing Adonay Yehovah. Literally, the Hebrew phrase can be transcribed as "God of gods" or "God of men" -- traditionally, this name describes Him as Ruler over all things.

As a characteristic of a ruler or master, Merriam-Webster defines "sovereign" in this way:

• a. possessed of supreme power
• b. unlimited in extent: ABSOLUTE
• c. enjoying autonomy: INDEPENDENT

We are generally comfortable with the first two as Christians. The third, however, messes with our sense of importance to the grand scheme.

In conversation with Michael last evening, it was revealed how often we attribute the conditions of our life to our favor before God -- i.e. when things do not seem to be going according to plan, we feel we are somehow at blame. The dangerous temptation here is to begin responding to our perception of guilt: working in our flesh to attain perfection, finding an alternate path to "complete" His plan, or seeking an exit from uncomfortable situations through worldly means.

Of course, Satan understands that these actions gum up the works, so to speak. We tend to buy the lie that these mistakes have forever ruined God's plan: within our own lives and in the big picture. If our enemy can reinforce this lie within us, thus constructing a faulty perception of God, we are led to two end results:

• 1. We work harder to place God's plan back on track.
• 2. We give up completely.

The beauty of God's sovereignty is that it is not dependent on any of us. If God wills something to happen, it will happen. He is the supreme ruler over all things -- all creation, including the spirits of darkness, are subject to His hand. We can beat ourselves up for missing an opportunity to serve our Father, but ultimately, we are not given the authority or responsibility of fulfilling His will. We are given the wonderful privilege of partaking in His plan, and He calls us to obedience for the sake of our own well-being and for the glory that is manifested through the Christ-like vessel. But we should not believe that our failures are God's failures. Even if we choose to give up completely, He will find another body to accomplish His work.

So where does His sovereignty leave us? We have been given a place of privilege -- an honor He joyfully gives His sons and daughters.

Last night, I asked if it was God's desire or doing for Jacob to deceive his father and brother, or to produce the twelve tribes through four different women. Jacob certainly faced a number of trials as a result of these actions. We must recognize that in His sovereignty, just because things turn out according to His will does not mean that our process was righteous. The truth is, God had already determined that Jacob would receive the blessing, and the tribes would be his inheritance. That Jacob sinned is irrelevant to the big picture.

Rather, God would have us respond in obedience for the sake of our intimacy and the fulfillment of His Glory, not because His will depends on it. I would much rather know that my life was a pleasing offering than for God to proclaim, "Okay, I can still work with this." It is only my own life, and my relationship with Him, that suffers when I live in disobedience. His plan will be fine; this much is certain. But why shouldn't I desire to humbly place myself in service to the King?

I've mentioned this before, but Michael once told me that humility is understanding both sides of our relationship to God. First, we are small potatoes in God's scheme for redemption and glory. But second, we are the living manifestation of His Glory here on earth. An imbalance in this truth always leads to sin. If we forget that His plan is independent of our actions, then pride is around the corner. If we fail to acknowledge ourselves as children of Light, the death of our flesh serves no purpose. We must accurately live according to our humility and His sovereignty to take part in the life of Christ (Phil. 2). Allow Him to lift you up according to His good will.

"...Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28)