| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Sovereignty
of God
God’s Sovereignty
God rules in the affairs of
men. Napoleon
at the height of his career
is reported to have given this
cynical answer to someone who asked if God was on the side of
Then
came the Battle of Waterloo
where Napoleon lost both the battle and his
empire. Years later
in exile on the
God’s Sovereignty
C.S. Lewis in 《God in
the Dock》write: “In Hamlet’s branch breaks and Ophelia is drowned.
Did she die because the branch broke or because Shakespeare wanted her to die
at that point in the play? Either—both—whichever you prefer. The alternative
suggested by the question is not a real alternative at all—once you have
grasped that Shakespeare is making the whole play.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
GOD'S RULE
While serving as a missionary in Laos
I
discovered an illustration of the kingdom of God. Before the colonialists
imposed national boundaries
the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement
on taxation in the border areas. Those who ate short-grain rice
built their
houses on stilts
and decorated them with Indian-style serpents were considered
Laotians. On the other hand
those who ate long-grain rice
built their houses
on the ground
and decorated them with Chinese-style dragons were considered
Vietnamese. The exact location of a person's home was not what determined his
or her nationality. Instead
each person belonged to the kingdom whose cultural
values he or she exhibited. So it is with us
we live in the world
but as part
of God's kingdom
we are to live according to his kingdom's standards and
values.── John Hess-Yoder.
GOD
sovereignty of
Here is a correction in understanding the
sovereignty of God as told by a writer in Our Daily Bread: In "Our Daily
Bread
" I told how a Christian providentially escaped death. An unexpected
delay in New York kept him from catching Flight 191 in Chicago
which crashed
with all 254 aboard. That article brought this note from a reader: "I just
had to let you know about one of God's great saints who ran to make Flight
191--and made it!" His name was Edwards E. Elliott
beloved pastor of the
Garden Grove Orthodox Presbyterian Church in California. His plane from
Pennsylvania was late
and a friend who had accompanied him to Chicago said he last
saw him "dashing forward" in the terminal to make his connection. As
I read about Pastor Elliott's fruitful ministry
the question I raised in that
June devotional challenged me with new urgency: "Was Divine providence
operating only in New York and not in Chicago?" Immediately the words of
my correspondent came alive: "At the time
Reverend Elliott didn't know he
was indeed running to Heaven...Mrs. Elliott and her four married children
comforted the entire church. Their Christian faith and testimony in sorrow was
most extraordinary." ── D.J.D.
Our Daily Bread
June
1980.
GOD
sovereignty of
Newscaster Paul Harvey told a remarkable
story of God's providential care over thousands of allied prisoners during
World War II
many of whom were Christians. One of America's mighty bombers
took off from the island of Guam headed for Kokura
Japan
with a deadly cargo.
Because clouds covered the target area
the sleek B-29 circled for nearly an
hour until its fuel supply reached the danger point. The captain and his crew
frustrated because they were right over the primary target yet not able to
fulfill their mission
finally decided they had better go for the secondary
target. Changing course
they found that the sky was clear. The command was
given
"Bombs away!" and the B-29 headed for its home base. Some time
later an officer received some startling information from military
intelligence. Just one week before that bombing mission
the Japanese had
transferred one of their largest concentrations of captured Americans to the
city of Kokura. Upon reading this
the officer exclaimed
"Thank God for
that protecting cloud! If the city hadn't been hidden from the bomber
it would
have been destroyed and thousands of American boys would have died." God's
ways are behind the scenes; but He moves all the scenes which He is behind. We
have to learn this
and let Him work.── John Nelson Darby.
GOD
sovereignty of
In the frigid waters around Greenland are
countless icebergs
some little and some gigantic. If you'd observe them carefully
you'd notice that sometimes the small ice floes move in one direction while
their massive counterparts flow in another. The explanation is simple. Surface
winds drive the little ones
whereas the huge masses of ice are carried along
by deep ocean currents. When we face trials and tragedies
it's helpful to see
our lives as being subject to two forces--surface winds and ocean currents. The
winds represent everything changeable
unpredictable
and distressing. But
operating simultaneously with these gusts and gales is another force that's
even more powerful. It is the sure movement of God's wise and sovereign
purposes
the deep flow of His unchanging love.── Unknown.
GOD
sovereignty of
During his days as guest lecturer at Calvin
Seminary
R.B. Kuiper once used the following illustration of God's sovereignty
and human responsibility: I liken them to two ropes going through two holes in
the ceiling and over a pulley above. If I wish to support myself by them
I
must cling to them both. If I cling only to one and not the other
I go down.──
R.B. Kuiper.
A. W. Tozer attempts to
reconcile God's sovereignty and man's freewill:
An ocean liner leaves New
York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper
authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least a faint picture of
sovereignty. On board the liner are scores of passengers. These are not in
chains
neither are their activities determined for them by decree. They are
completely free to move about as they will. They eat
sleep
play
lounge about
on the deck
read
talk
altogether as they please; but all the while the great
liner is carrying them steadily onward toward a predetermined port. Both
freedom and sovereignty are present here
and they do not contradict. So it is
I believe
with man's freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty liner of
God's sovereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history." ── A.W. Tozer.
During his days as guest
lecturer at Calvin Seminary
R.B.Kuiper once used the following illustration of
God's sovereignty and human responsibility:
I liken them to two ropes
going through two holes in the ceiling and over a pulley above. If I wish to
support myself by them
I must cling to them both. If I cling only to one and
not the other
I go down. I read the many teachings of the Bible regarding
God's election
predestination
his chosen
and so on. I read also the many
teachings regarding 'whosoever will may come' and urging people to exercise
their responsibility as human beings. These seeming contradictions cannot be
reconciled by the puny human mind. With childlike faith
I cling to both ropes
fully confident that in eternity I will see that both strands of truth are
after all
of one piece.── John
Morren.
GOD
sovereignty of
Again
it may be seen from this promise that
God
to some extent
has seen fit to condition His action upon the believer's
prayer; for the Scripture says; "If ye shall ask anything in my name
I
will do it"; and this is the secret of all true evangelism...It is
then
the teaching of Scripture that the action of the mighty power of God in
convicting and illuminating the unsaved is also
in a large measure
dependent
upon the priestly intercession of the believer.── L.S. Chafer
True
Evangelism
p. 90-1.
GOD
sovereignty of
I read the many teachings of the Bible
regarding God's election
predestination
his chosen
and so on. I read also
the many teachings regarding 'whosoever will may come' and urging people to exercise
their responsibility as human beings. These seeming contradictions cannot be
reconciled by the puny human mind. With childlike faith
I cling to both ropes
fully confident that in eternity I will see that both strands of truth are
after all
of one piece."── John Morren
Lake City
Michigan.
If God did not bless
not
one hair
not a solitary wisp of straw
would grow; but there would be an end
of everything. At the same time God wants me to take this stance: I would have
nothing whatever if I did not plow and sow. God does not want to have success
come without work
and yet I am not to achieve it by my work. He does not want
me to sit at home
to loaf
to commit matters to God
and to wait till a fried
chicken flies into my mouth. That would be tempting God. ── Martin Luther
quoted in What Luther Says In
Knowledge of the Holy.
Again
it may be seen from
this promise that God
to some extent
has seen fit to condition His action
upon the believer's prayer; for the Scripture says; "If ye shall ask
anything in my name
I will do it"; and this is the secret of all true
evangelism...It is
then
the teaching of Scripture that the action of the
mighty power of God in convicting and illuminating the unsaved is also
in a
large measure
dependent upon the priestly intercession of the believer. L.S.
Chafer
True Evangelism
p. 90-1
In 1 Samuel 17 we have the
thrilling story of David
the modest shepherd boy who slew Goliath
the
arrogant giant of Gath. The drama of that event so occupies our attention that
the spiritual lessons contained in the more minute details may escape our
notice. Today
therefore
I'd like to consider the importance of the expression
"five smooth stones." Why more than one stone? Wasn't David a man of
faith? Did he doubt that God would give him perfect timing and aim as he used
his trusty sling to take on the enemy of the Lord?
Certainly he needed only a
single small pebble to accomplish his mission. But wait
there were at least
four other giants (see 2 Samuel 21:15-22). They might rally to Goliath's
defense if something went wrong. Perhaps David had prepared for them. Trusting
the Lord implicitly
he chose one stone for the champion of the Philistines and
just enough to be ready for any others if they attacked.
Why did he choose
"smooth stones"? Well
you can shoot much more accurately with the
proper ammunition. He had faith
but he also used sanctified common sense. He
didn't foolishly say
"The Lord is going to do it anyway
so I'll just
pick up any old jagged rocks." No
he recognized human responsibility as
well as Divine providence and selected shiny
round stones that would speed
straight to the mark. ── Our
Daily Bread.
There is no attribute more
comforting to His children than that of God's sovereignty. Under the most
adverse circumstances
in the most severe trials
they believe that sovereignty
has ordained their afflictions
that sovereignty overrules them
and that sovereignty
will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought to more
earnestly contend to than the doctrine of their Master over all creation--the
Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands--the Throne of God and His
right to sit upon that throne...for it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.── C.H. Spurgeon.