By Cameron Cole
Helpful but Hopeless
As sufferers wrestle with how a loving, good God could allow such painful, wicked things to occur in our lives, people want to say, “God didn’t have anything to do with this.”
But as a friend, let me tell you the immediately hard, but ultimately hopeful, truth about your Worst: God did and does have something to do with your tragedy. I know this sounds like a cruel statement, but stay with me. There is hope in the end.
There is both a fundamental and a practical reason why the notion of God’s limited involvement in suffering breeds harm and hopelessness.
Let me tell you what I hear when people say, “God didn’t have anything to do with this.” I
hear . . .
God’s hands are tied.
God took his eye off the wheel when your Worst occurred.
Satan is just as great, mighty, and sovereign as God.
God just isn’t that powerful. He’s impotent.
God is not in control.
God is weak.
The Bible Tells Us So
None of these statements resemble the God of the Bible. The witness of Scripture testifies to a God who remains sovereign in every moment.
The Bible says that God controls the forces of nature (Ps. 147:15–18). His providence rules over plants and animals (Jonah 4:6; Matt. 10:29). He ordains random events (Prov. 16:33; Act 1:23–26). He reigns over rulers and nations (Job 12:23–25). He controls major disasters (Lam 3:37–38; Amos 3:6). He has power over the spiritual forces of evil (1 Sam. 16:14;
Matt. 8:31–32).
If God controls all of these elements of existence—all of which are far less significant to him than you, his child—then certainly he reigns in the story of your life, even in your Worst.
God’s Sovereignty Is the True Comfort
If God is not fully sovereign in your suffering, then you cannot trust that he is fully in control of your healing and recovery. If God’s hands are tied when the Worst enters your life, then maybe his powers are also limited in helping you.
The scriptural word concerning the sovereignty of God assures you that even in the moments when it feels as if God has abandoned you and your plight, you can know objectively that God remains in control.
Taken from “Don’t Let Go of God’s Sovereignty over Your Worst” by Cameron Cole, Copyright © August 08, 2018. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org
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