As we conclude, lets us open our mind and open our heart so that we may see and hear the truths that God is trying to reveal. Because the Church has redefined “the sovereignty of God” to mean, “God is in total control and that nothing happens but that which the will of God allows to happen,” many believers and non-believers as well, have been led to believe that God is somehow responsible for all the tragedies that occur in the world. They believe God is somehow responsible for the daily struggles that so many go through every day, such as depression, fear, worry, anxiety, confusion, doubt, discouragement, low self-esteem, poverty, sickness, and death. They have been taught and truly believe that everyone suffers these things because this is “the will of God.” That old cliché, “God will not put more on you than you can bear,” appears to fall in line with the teachings that God is responsible for the things that happen to us. We must note that the Old Testament scriptures are more likely to be used to support this argument because the New Testament portrays God as a very willing healer and life giver. Most people are familiar with the story of Job and how God has been portrayed in that story. But more importantly, they are all familiar with one of the most often repeated statements that originated from that story by Job.
“…Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Because of his losses, we know that Job spoke this statement, but it is very apparent, from the traditional teachings on the subject, that this very statement has been used to define God for many of us. We still use parts, if not all of this statement today to comfort those who have suffered some type of loss. However, God has a version of things that is just a little different from the one that we have been taught or the one that we have been led to accept based on this statement.
“For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn; he will never go back on his promises” (Romans 11:29 TLB).
According to this passage, God does not withdraw nor does he take back his gifts once he gives them and he never goes back on his promises. And if by chance you did not know this, let us be the first to tell you, “life itself is a gift from God” (Genesis 2:7). Since this be the case, then what Job said, his statement about what God has done is not the truth. According to the scriptures, this is not something that God does. However, the belief that God, the sovereign being that he is, would give something like life to his creation and then turn around and take back that same life has circled through the generations of mankind like the earth has circled the sun for almost as many years.
In the story of Job, we find four tragic events taking place on the same day, each included the loss of human life. The disasters that befell Job’s family were of human interactions—the Sebeans (Job 1:15) and Chaldeans (Job 1:17)—and of natural sources—fire from the heavens (Job 1:16) and wind from the wilderness (Job 1:19), all completely orchestrated and controlled by the devil himself. The devil’s ability to control those who are apparently loyal to him and operate at his bidding for his purposes and to carry out his plan should not be overlooked. His ability to control the elements for his purposes should not be discounted either. Physical pain, sicknesses, accidents, deaths and other tragedies comes from the devil (John 10:10) and not from God, the giver of good and perfect gifts (James 1:17).
The truth is that God gave dominion over his creation to mankind, placing him in charge of everything he had made as well as placing everything under his authority (Psalm 8:3-8). And if God be true to his word, which we know that he is (Hebrews 6:18), then his gift of dominion over his creation can never be withdrawn by him nor will he go back on his word. And though the devil was able to obtain this gift of dominion over God’s creation from mankind (Luke 4:5-6), it was Jesus who got back for us what Adam had freely given to the devil, our power, authority, and dominion (Matthew 28:18). And this is why the children of God have the power to limit what the devil can do (Luke 19:10).
Please understand that we have only scratched the surface of a subject that is well-established in the traditional teachings of the Church. The redefining of “the sovereignty of God” has impacted how man sees God, how man interacts with him, and has dictated how man relates to God. But as you get out of your cave of darkness and venture from the stone age, traditional teachings about Old Testament, we pray that you will come to realize that God’s version of things, revealed through the New Testament shows that you matter to him more than you may know. Understand that it would be impossible for us to cover everything that is available, so we tried to focus on a small area. We hope that this has inspired you to continue to seek the truth, not only about “the sovereignty of God” but also “the true nature of the God.”
As always, we pray that today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it. If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well. Amen.
Enjoy your blessings - KW
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