The Sovereign Plan

Have you ever thought about the sovereignty of God’s ordering?

I mean, the Westminster Catechism is extremely clear

“The decrees of God are His eternal plan based on the purpose of His will, by which, for His own glory, He has foreordained everything that happens.”

We all know this; those of us who have grown up in Christian homes are taught that God has a plan for everything that happens. This is generally told to us as a reassurance, but have you ever thought to stop and think about the amazingness of it?

When God created the universe, it’s interesting to look at the order of Creation. Earth, light, and water came before plants (because the plants needed all these things), and plants came before animals (because the animals needed all the things plants needed, and then the plants as well).

We can look at creation, God's eternal plan of salvation, the course of history and say to all of them "Wow, it's amazing to see how God ordered history." But did we ever consider how He's ordered our personal lives? His plan for each of us is just as important, intricate, and planned out as all of history itself.

Did God ever teach you something that you thought was insignificant? I mean, sure it was a “good” lesson, but didn’t really appear to have any relevance at the time. Then, down the road, you recognized it was a necessary skill to have for a challenge that God sent you through. God always paves the way – He knows exactly what we need to get through the life He’s planned out for us.

Perhaps you once received something that meant nothing to you; later, however, it became key to fulfill something God had for you to do. Sometimes it comes in the form of a skill – something you learned to do, but didn’t really end up using until you were in trouble; and it saved you. Maybe it was some role models you had; personalities that you attempted to emulate and it turned out that those were traits that you needed for a ministry.

God knows what you need and when you’ll need it, and it’s important to recognize that even when we have no idea why he brought us through something, He’s got a plan for it; likely something we never would have thought of. None of the angels could have predicted what God was planning on using water for, but when Adam first took a drink of the life-giving fluid, they understood. God prepares us for anything we’ll go through; it’s comforting to rest in that.