Free Will and the Sovereignty of God
Free Will and the Sovereignty of God
Every two years I have to confess that I am captured by the elections and the drama of the spirited contest between two or three individuals who wish to hold an elected office. The debates, the ads, the campaign events are all part of the panoply of these unfolding events. I am also fascinated by the prognosticators and the pundits who predict the races and handicap the results. It’s interesting to see who comes closest in their predictions when the results are finally in.
I am also struck with the fact that during this time my political juices begin to flow more rapidly and there is a tendency to put a great importance on who is or is not elected to office. But whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent – left, right, or moderate – there is one truth that needs to override all this hoopla: God is in control.
Yes we make our own decisions, and yes we can alter the direction of our entire lives by the seemingly small decisions we make daily. One of the great tenets of the Christian faith is that God gives us choices, and that out of those choices we choose to love and be obedient to Him. But we also hold a corresponding and seemingly contradictory belief in our faith: God is in control. No matter what happens to us or around us, we know that God is somehow, and many times inscrutably, orchestrating events to accomplish His purposes and plan.
So it is that fact and that hope that gives me an anchor during turbulent times, when everything seems to be in chaos. Who will be elected? Whose agenda will be furthered? Which unscrupulous politician will get by with their misdeeds? And in the middle of all this stress I am once again reminded: God is sovereign and we’re not. As Proverbs 16:33 states: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” (NIV) There is nothing that happens to you or me that isn’t ultimately controlled by the One who loves and cherishes us. And that many times is what keeps my head up and my heart warm, even in turbulent times.
Jim
