Sovereign
God is sovereign.
Us Christians like this expression even though most of us cannot define what it means. When good things happen we proclaim, “God is sovereign.” But, what does that mean exactly?
Dictionary.com holds the meaning of sovereign as follows:
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a supreme ruler, especially a monarch.
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possessing supreme or ultimate power.“in modern democracies the people’s will is in theory sovereign”
Sounds pretty extreme, doesn’t it? Supreme ruler. Ultimate power. Whoa. What’s up dictatorship? For me, understanding God’s sovereignty didn’t exist in a definition. Comprehending God’s sovereignty was found, for me, in living my life.
I have been a Christian since I was fourteen. I have heard that God is sovereign countless times over the years. I never fully understood what that meant until recently. And boy, how that understanding has changed my faith and my prayer life.
My two youngest boys went to sleep away camp for a week. My husband traveled for work that same week. We had contractors in and out, a dog that was a hot mess with health issues, and numerous other stresses that same week. Every time I felt that knot in my throat like I was either going to cry or throw up, I prayed. My prayer was simple.
“God, You are sovereign.”
That was it. I would repeat that over and over again. By proclaiming His sovereignty, I am relinquishing control to Him. No longer am I trying to carry a load I wasn’t meant to bear.
God’s sovereignty is not found in His desire for world domination. It is also not found in His desire for complete control. God’s sovereignty is rooted in trust: our trust that His desire for us is better than anything we can imagine. Our realization that He is good and that He can be trusted is the definition of His sovereignty. Knowing that all things (even the unpleasant) are worked together for good is equivalent to understanding God’s sovereignty.
His sovereignty is rooted in love and grace. Knowing this extends our ability to trust in Him even when life feels like it is falling apart. I found the true definition of God’s sovereignty when I allowed Him to take care of the things I thought I had control over.
When I look back on my life, I can see how God’s fingerprint is all over it. Everything, even the hard stuff, has come together in a beautiful story that I am proud to be living. He is trustworthy. And, because He is trustworthy, He is sovereign.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
Love & Blessings,
Meg