“But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases,” (Psalm 115:3 NASB)
Suppose you’re an artist who paints a masterpiece. You value your painting, you go to great measures to preserve your painting, and as the creator and owner you alone have the right to decide what you do with your painting.
Though inadequate in scope, this image gives us some insight into the concept of God as governor of His universe.
God is the source of all things (John 1:3). Not only did He create everything that exists by the mere power of His word, He upholds it all “by the word of His power” as well (Heb. 1:3). In other words, He intricately and infinitely preserves every aspect, every creature, every atom of His creation.
And as the Creator and rightful Owner of all things, it follows that He also rightfully governs all things. Government assumes the idea of design and control. It involves a purpose to be attained as well as the means for its attainment. And that purpose is that God be glorified as He has decreed.
In order to accomplish His ends, God must control the sequence of all events – from those most obvious to those not even observable – to guarantee that His purposes are accomplished. Scripture states that it is the all-powerful and all-wise work of God that determines all things, not by chance, but in complete and direct alignment with His sovereign will. (Prov. 19:22, Isa. 45:7).
God governs nature: He “makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust,” (Matt. 5:45). “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps,” (Ps. 135:6).
God governs nations: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes,” (Prov. 21:1). “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,” ((Acts 17:26).
God governs individuals: Every man’s birth, life and death are ordered by God. 1 Samuel 2:6-7 says, “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.” Proverbs 16:9 is very specific about the actual path a man takes in his life, “The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.”
God governs sinful acts: “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,
even the wicked for the day of evil,” (Prov. 16:4). Evil can only occur by His permission and in execution of His purposes. For instance, God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, (Ex. 7:13) as part of His overall plan to deliver Israel from the bondage of Egypt.
God governs His own: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,” (Rom. 8:28). Because God is Governor of His universe in every respect, believers can rest assured that no matter what comes our way, we know that it had to come through Him first!
- Lord, everything in Your universe is divinely manipulated by Your governing providence. You turn the wisdom of your enemies into foolishness, and without Your infallible counsel and Your invincible strength we would all despair. Sometimes You choose to withdraw heavenly influences in Your sovereign providence, and mercy seems far away. Though You withdraw the sense of Your presence and suspend the comforting influences of Your Spirit for a time, You promise never to leave Your people. I am so thankful for that truth.
- Can You, the Almighty Creator who made all things out of nothing, lack any means to perform whatsoever You please? Confusion in the world seems to come from chance and circumstance, but the truth is that You order and govern everything by design. Your providence is a servant to Your eternal counsel and purpose.
- Lord, one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Edwards, described Your sovereignty as Your absolute, independent right of disposing of all creatures according to Your own pleasure. I agree with this because the Bible tells me so! Job 9:12, “Behold, he takes away, who can hinder him? Who will say to him, what do You do?” Exactly! Who can hinder a sovereign God? Job was stricken with a crippling disease, all his worldly goods were stolen, and all ten of his children were killed. You orchestrated these events through secondary means (such as thieves and invaders) to afflict Job. Indeed, everything is at Your disposal, and You use whatever You choose for the good of Your people and their sanctification. It was better that Job go through this affliction than not. What will I go through for my good?
Further References for Psalm 115:3
Ps. 135:6; Dan. 4:35; Matt. 6:9; Neh. 1:4; Job 42:2; Isa. 43:13
