The sovereignty of God can be tough to grasp and even more, can be hard to trust in. What does it mean for God to be sovereign? Sovereign simply means that someone or something has supreme power or authority. When we think about sovereign nations, such as the United States, it is sovereign. The nation has supreme power over the land, people, etc. The United States has had sovereignty since 1776. Since there was a beginning point, does that mean it can end? Absolutely.  

But the sovereignty of God does not have a beginning point and will never have an end point. God has always been and always will be sovereign. His sovereignty is eternal. He was sovereign before the foundation of the world and sovereign before our own births.  

One aspect of God’s sovereignty is that God is in absolute control. The world around us has moments of tragedy, and our own personal lives have moments of pain and suffering. How are we to make sense of tragedy and the pain that we personally suffer? Whether it is a new diagnosis, the loss of a friend or colleague, or hatred from the culture, God is in control and His sovereign plan is working all things for His glory. Romans 8:35-39 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

We take comfort in the fact that no person or nation can thwart God’s sovereign control. We rest in the fact that God’s plan is perfect and that it will come to pass according to his divine decree. As Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  

Trusting in God’s sovereignty can be hard. To be truly honest, there are times when we struggle because the suffering seems so great. The only comfort we have in this moment is Jesus Christ. He is who we trust in. He is the one who has perfectly trusted in the sovereignty of God for us.  

Heidelberg catechism question 1 is so helpful here. It says: “What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death –to my faithful savior Jesus Christ. He has paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.”

Another aspect of God’s sovereignty is that it does not always seem apparent. There are times where we are going through the motions in life and aren’t necessarily sensitive to God’s plan. Routines of meals, work, sleep, and taking care of family help us forget that God is there in the details. God uses secondary causes through frail, sinful people to work all things for good. 

There are events in life that seem coincidental at times, but when we take a closer look we can see how God is working. Events such as losing a job or getting a promotion, being in an accident, being persecuted by culture, etc. are all opportunities to see God at work through them. We take comfort in Romans 8:28, which says: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

We remember that God does have a purpose and a plan for our lives. How do we trust God more? God is working sovereignly within the world and we know that he knows all things. He is never surprised, and he has never learned anything. 

Why is it so hard for us to trust God? We will never trust in God’s sovereignty perfectly. We may see others who are going through hard times such as a serious diagnosis or an extremely tough trial. They seem to be so content in trusting God. 

Why can’t I trust God more? I want to trust God more. Good news!! Jesus has trusted God perfectly for me. He is the perfectly righteous One. I will still fail in trusting God completely in my own effort. That’s why the gospel is so important here. I look to Christ through faith and know that he has trusted God in the ways that I will fail. He is my salvation, my hope, my everything.