Thursday,
December 8, 2022
PRAYER AND A SOVERIGN GOD!
Ps
99:1
99:1 The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth
between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
Dan
4:34-35
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up
mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed
the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to
generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as
nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto
him, What doest thou?
Brighter
minds have undertaken the subject of
the sovereignty of God. To me, and I suppose I am a pragmatist, God can be
nothing else but sovereign or else he ceases to be God. If I could nudge God
either to the right or to the left, and prompt Him to move, then
I would have displaced Him and stolen His throne. If I could push Him
and cause him to hurry or pull Him and cause Him to slow then I would have
replaced Him. Yet we try to do these things all the time.
We attempt
to manipulate God by being “good” thinking that will
secure His favor. We demonstrate our displeasure with God’s judgments by being
“bad.” When God acts in a way that seems unreasonable to us, we resist and revolt
so
that God might be brought back to His senses. We throw a temper tantrum
until God awakes to our way of thinking. We are constantly trying to manipulate
God for our own purposes.
What is even
more confusing is that God has created us in His
own image. We have been given a mind to think and a will to act. Adam named the
animals (Genesis 2:20) and God confirmed those names. We have been given self-determination
and the ability by our choices to control our
destinies. Yet, God is still God!
Prayer has
been given to us and it stands as the
only means of moving God on our behalf. We can’t nudge, push nor pull
but we have been invited to pray “that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need.” The mind nearly explodes with the contemplation of it
all.
If I can’t
push, pull, or prod the One who sits in solitary
splendor then it is important for me to learn His nature. If prayer has been
given as a gift, then it is important to know His heart. David, in Psalm
37:23, tells us that the steps of a good man are “ordered” by the Lord.
This speaks of God’s sovereign direction of my affairs. Verse 26 speaks of the
merciful nature of God. It is essential that I know this sovereign God and His
nature.
This
sovereign God put on the robe of humanity
to feel our pain and frustration. He became familiar with our limitations
and allowed Himself to be contained by space, restricted by time, and
controlled by circumstance. He was touched by the feelings of our infirmities. He
knew us that we might know Him.
Heb
4:15-16
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Dear Lord, Thou art the only wise God! You know the end from
the beginning. You are kind and merciful. You know that we are dust. Look upon
us today and act in concord with Thy knowledge and Thy nature. Be to us the
Almighty God and let us be Thy children. AMEN
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