God Rules in the Affairs of Nations, Men, and Me
The Bible teaches us that God owns everything. “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods” (Psalm 24:1). He created all things; consequently, he owns all things. This right of ownership extends to the people “that dwell therein.” The prophet Isaiah records for us that “he [the LORD] …giveth breath unto the people upon it [the earth] and spirit to them that walk therein” (Isaiah 42:5). Everything we see around us belongs to God and is “on loan” to us, even our very lives.
Though many would acknowledge God’s ownership, they would stop short of admitting to God’s active governance in the affairs of men. Yet the Scriptures testify plainly and often to God’s purposeful administration of his sovereign will. When it comes to nations, Daniel, a godly counselor to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, reminds us “he [God] removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21). Moses tells us the “Most High divided to the nations their inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:8) and Jeremiah more plainly relates God’s assertion “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me” (Jeremiah 27:5; emphasis added).
Paul becomes even more specific when writing to the church in Ephesus. He tells the believers there “we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11; emphasis added). We may not see the hand of God as he works out all things, but we can be assured that he is doing so. God said of Cyrus, the King of Persia, who was used by God rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, “For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me” (Isaiah 45:4-5). This prophecy concerning God’s working and plan occurred 200 years before Cyrus was even born!
God’s intimate and purposeful activity with his creation is a thought-provoking truth. There are many implications and responses worthy of consideration. One seems to stand out among others. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law” (Galatians 4:4). The fullness of time speaks to the right time in history. God moved through all of the events of history to bring about his desired set of circumstances for the crucifixion of Christ and, since that time, moves to bring about the right circumstance for the return and reign of his Son, Jesus. We, each one of us, are a necessary part of that history, God’s plan. Our lives are not about us, but about him. Christ will return and God’s plan will be accomplished. Are you ready?
Randy Livingston serves as a chaplain for a local police department. He writes devotionals for his ministry which also appear at his blog, From the Chaplain. We republish this post by permission.
Photo by: Dominikosaurus This work is licensed under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License.