NO OTHER FOUNDATION

In my seminary classes, the topic of the sovereignty of God came up more than once during my time at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute (now known as B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary). If you’ve studied the Bible significantly, you have read about the sovereinty of God. In the Dictionary of Bible Themes, Martin H. Manser defines sovereignty as “The fact that God is free and able to do all that he wills; that he reigns over all creation and that his will is the final cause of all things. This is often expressed in the language of kingship.”

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

I’ve studied the sovereignty of God. I’ve listened to many great pastors preach on the topic. I’ve read about it in Scripture. But I’ve never knowingly experienced it as it was happening, until recently. Let me explain what I mean.

I believe that God reigns over all things. We may be surprised by the things happening around us, but God is never caught off guard. In my life of nearly forty years, I can look back and see God’s gracious hand at work, even when I didn’t understand why certain things were happening in my life. I’ll give you one example. In my mid twenties, out of nowhere I began experiencing severe anxiety that led to depression. Depression was something that happened to other people, weak people, not me. However, at 25 years old it hit me like a freight train and left me picking up the pieces of myself all over the place. It was a dark 6 months for me. During that phase of my life, my conversations with God usually started with “Why?” Now I can look back on that time in my life and I know why. God was shaping me into the man I am today. My personal relationship with Him grew stronger during that time. He’s used me to help other men that struggle with anxiety and depression.

GOD’S GRACIOUS, SOVERIGN HAND

So, I’ve been able to look back in my life and reflect on God’s gracious, sovereign hand at work in my past. Recently though, I’ve been blessed to see His hand in action. When we decided to move to Van Alstyne from Austin, there was one major issue: we had to sell our home. The market had quickly cooled from what it was just six months prior. In addition to that, several of our neighbors had listed their homes and they were not selling. We priced our home to sell, expecting to lose a significant amount of money from what we purchased it for. We put it on the market and prayed. Two days later our home was under contract for more than our list price! By the time you factor in realtor fees we broke even, but that sale was a tremendous blessing. It was the gracious, sovereign hand of God. And I saw it as it was happening.

When Melissa and I began researching where we wanted to plant a church, we visited Van Alstyne and immediately fell in love with this little town that is growing rapidly. We bought in our subdivision and got settled in. Then I saw God’s gracious, sovereign hand at work again. Being in a new subdivision, most of our neighbors are looking for community. They want friendships. They want their kids to have friends in the neighborhood. God brought us to this subdivision to develop relationships with our neighbors. What a joy it has been to make new friends! God’s gracious, sovereign hand at work. And I see it as it is happening.

He’s placed church leaders and churches in our path. In many ways, the path that formed has been unexpected. But God has brought us to these churches and their leaders, and brought them to us. We will be able to partner with them for the sake of the gospel. It’s God’s gracious, sovereign hand at work. And I see it as it is happening.

How Can We Have God’s Gracious Hand On Us?

Ezra 7:9 says that God’s gracious hand was on Ezra. Why did Ezra receive God’s favor? We are told the answer to that question in verse 10, “This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.”

STUDY

Ezra was DETERMINED to study the Law of the Lord. The NASB 95 says that Ezra “set his heart” to study God’s Law. If we want to see God’s gracious, sovereign hand at work in our lives, we must be determined to study God’s Word with all of our heart. This goes beyond reading our Bibles, although reading is a good start. I may be able to understand a little from reading, but I gain so much more insight by studying! We now have online Bible resources such as https://www.blueletterbible.org that make Bible study so much more user friendly than it used to be. We really have no excuses when it comes to studying our Bible.

OBEY

Jesus said in John 14:21, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” When we obey God’s commands, we show that we love Him. Jesus promised to reveal Himself to us. It isn’t enough to just hear or read God’s Word. God’s Word requires action. It transforms our lives. Our obedience demonstrates our trust in Him. Ezra was DETERMINED to obey God’s law.

TEACH

I used to teach middle school math. There is an interesting fact about teaching. When you do all the studying and preparation for class, you actually do a lot of learning. Any good teacher is going to put forth significant time and effort in order that he or she knows the material that is to be taught. Teach others what Jesus has revealed to you in your study of His Word. Again, Ezra was DETERMINED to teach the Law of the Lord. He didn’t keep all of that information to himself for his own benefit. He had the Israelite nation listening to him. They needed to hear his words because they had been taken over by a foreign nation. They knew their only hope was from God and Ezra taught them about the Law of the God.

STUDY. OBEY. TEACH. If we do these three things, we too, like Ezra can see God’s gracious, sovereign hand at work. I’m not perfect in these three areas, but I’m growing more in each everyday. Will you join me?