“He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”
(Daniel 2:21)
Instead of being concerned with making a list of resolutions, the New Year is an excellent opportunity for a Christian to contemplate the work of God in their life and in the world around them. We can take this time to reflect on how God has preserved, provided for, directed, and matured us in our walk with Him. And beyond reflection, it is a time to seek wisdom and direction for new opportunities to serve and adore God in the upcoming year.
Recognizing and remembering God’s involvement with His people is a common theme in Scripture (Ex. 3:6; Ps. 102:12, 135:13; Acts 10:4). And God doesn’t just work on an individual level. Divine providence reaches to every corner of His world. He controls every aspect of His creation, whether animate or inanimate, for He is sovereign over His universe.
The word sovereign comes from the Latin word “super,” from which we derive terms like superior and supreme. Synonyms for superior and supreme include descriptors like unparalleled, unsurpassable, unmatched, ultimate, transcendent and paramount.
Our God is all these things. Psalm 97:9 says, “You are the Lord Most High over all the earth…” As such, He is autonomous, possessing all rights and powers to govern all facets of His world, both great and small. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,” (Ps. 24:1), and He “works all things after the counsel of His will,” (Eph. 1:11).
Throughout history, leaders rise and fall. Civilizations come and go. Times of peace give way to horrific wars and terrors. But God is controlling them all. “He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings, and sets up kings,” (Dan. 2:21). And “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will,” (Prov. 21:1). Kingdoms, republics, and corporations are all subjects of God’s providence. “Promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He pulls down one, and sets up another,” (Ps. 75:6-7).
God is providentially sovereign over all things concerning His Church as well. Deuteronomy 11:12 shows Moses describing the land of Canaan, “A land which the Lord Your God cares for: the eyes of the Lord Your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year, even to the end of the year.” In that period of history, that land was the only habitation of God’s church and therefore represented His people. In addition, Scripture is abundantly clear that the Lord has absolute authority and power over the mission of the church under the new covenant, and it cannot fail (Matt. 16:18, 24:14; John 10:16).
Have you considered how God Most High, our providentially sovereign and supreme God, has ordered all those events and people and experiences that intersect your life?
While being thankful for God’s salvation, let us also be thankful for His sovereignty. Let us become students of His supremacy and providence. Let us allow this past year to be a memorial to Him and what He has done, and these truths to overlay how we live and view life in this New Year.
- Lord, how discerning am I about Your work in my life? Have I merely taken things for granted as I praise You for salvation, but then go about in my daily routine not considering all Your wonderful works around me? I want to start considering much more often Your involvement in the ultimate end of all things, which tends to Your glory and my happiness.
- Lord, help me discern the work of Your sovereign providence in my life, regardless of how big or small that work might be. Help me study these things, taking even an interest in the lilies of the field and the sparrows that fall from the tree according to Your will.
- Do I take time to consider and contemplate all Your works in the events of the world, in all places around the world, around my country, around my state, around my city, around my community, around my home, and in my life?
- I was reading a book by Peter van Mastricht where he said that God’s, “authority of [His] right extends itself to everything.” He mentions possible things, all things that exist, kingdoms and empires, rational creatures, inanimate creatures, morality, and the blessings of Christ to the church. What he’s saying is that God is sovereign over everything, and providentially governs everything. I’m guilty of not praising You for this. Help me consider what I miss day by day where I should give You praise. Help me consider the past year that I might make more of an effort to see Your will before me as it unfolds in my life in this New Year.
Further References for Daniel 2:21
James 1:5; Ps. 75:7; 1 Kings 4:29; Job 12:18; Gen. 1:14; 1 Sam. 2:7
