“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:19-20)
I’ve read that most often our perceptions of God are initially formed through the earliest relationships we have, with the greatest influence being attributed to our fathers. I believe that part of that at least is designed by God with the institution of families. Not only is God described as “Your Heavenly Father” by Jesus to His followers, but the Bible frequently uses parental language to describe the very heart and character of God. (Hebrews 12:5-11 for example) That’s also humbling, because I know how far short I fall in modeling this to my children, and I’m not being modest. Ask…no…don’t ask my kids!
Most who hold to the God of the Bible, understanding the scriptures themselves to be God’s revelation of Himself to humanity, would readily agree that God is all-powerful, sovereign, and loving. How they define these descriptors, however, often depends on whether they take a God-centered approach, or a man-centered one. Do we begin with God, or with Man, in our learning? That is, in seeking a true understanding of God, do we humbly approach it like this: “I am Your student and servant; wherever You lead me, I will follow.” Or, is it more like, “From what I know about God, this must be mean this, and it cannot mean that!”
Another way to put it: Do we let human reasoning and philosophy based upon current values drive our interpretation, or go wherever God’s Word appears to lead, especially where it’s convicting? Of course, we always seek consistency within scripture, and I have the utmost confidence in that, with the longer I study. Those “problem passages” are getting to be less of a problem! The greatest temptation to compromise on that, then, happens when life’s struggles hit closer to home. “Is God really sovereign over my situation when this is what I’m going through? Is He really loving me through this, and working for my good?” The Tempter may be at work sowing seeds of doubt as he did with Eve…
I think of the example of Joni Eareckson Tada, now celebrating 75 years of life, almost 60 years since her diving accident at age 17, where her doctors told her that she could expect to live 10 years following this type of injury. Her words on the sovereignty of God are inspiring to me: “I know why God has me living – it’s all for the advancement of his Gospel,” Joni said. “There have been seasons I’ve thought I might be close to the end of my days here on earth, but each time God has brought me back from the edge with a renewed sense of purpose to tell more people about Jesus. Especially families struggling with disability. …As a quadriplegic, I do not take the years for granted; I realize each one is a Spirit-sent gift,” (website*)
I pray for that kind of faith! She is to me like one of the great saints of old; that perhaps there is a longer extension to the “Faith Chapter” in Hebrews 11! Like Job, who said after all his trials, ““I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) Or Isaiah, faithfully proclaiming God’s Word in a place of opposition: “ The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand. …This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27)
In even what may seem obvious to most, I still sense the need to point out: Faith in God’s Sovereignty is increased through faithfulness in trials and hardships. Hebrews 11 gives examples of Old Testament saints who never saw the fruit of their labor, and others who did. The commonality is seen in their steps of obedience, regardless of what they could see. So when Philippians 4:19 tells that that “our God will meet all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus”, faith tells us that we proceed forward in daily obedience, trusting that what we are receiving is what we need! He will richly bless us, and much of that may be partly unseen…for a time. Unlike earthly fathers, our Heavenly Father never makes a mistake or misses a payment!
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14) What, then, shall we ask, that is according to His will? Jesus gives a glimpse of it when He said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit; fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16) God’s children in Christ are both made and appointed to bear fruit through the Holy Spirit, which I believe is shown in others being drawn into eternal life through Gospel witness! IN that obedience, we find our God to be mighty, yes, sovereign. In His timing there will be answered prayers!
So we look out at what appears to be chaos in the world around us, but by faith we look UP to see our Sovereign God working mysteriously through His fallen creation…and even through us! “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”