God is Sovereign in my life

Proverbs 21:1
The King’s heart is in the hand of the LORD: he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

It reads in 2 Chronicles that God’s wrath was aroused against Israel because they despised his words, mocked and did not heed the voice of his messengers.
So he caused the king of Babylon to come against his people Israel. This resulted in Israel being in captivity for seventy years in Babylon.

God once again displayed his sovereign control at the end of these seventy years as was prophesied by Jeremiah the prophet. He then moved sovereignly on Cyrus the king of Persia to do an amazing thing.

2 Chronicles 36:22
God moved on the heart of Cyrus king of Persia.
“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you- may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.”

Isaiah 45:4-6
For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I call you (Cyrus) by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me, I am the Lord and there is no other.

I think this is an amazing account of how God is our Sovereign King. God needed the Israelites delivered, and the temple rebuilt. He causes the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to do it for him.
The text reads that even though Cyrus did not acknowledge him, he bestowed honor on him.
Why?
” For the sake of Jacob my servant of Israel my chosen.”
And so that men may know that “I am the LORD and there is no other”
God will move whatever it takes to accomplish his will.
Mountains…Yes!

The sovereignty of God has always brought me great comfort. Knowing that the omnipotent, omniscient God has all things in his hands.
I’m reminded of the children's song
He’s got the whole world in his hands
This is true.

What does this do for you?
You can rest in his sovereignty
You can trust that he is causing all things to work together for your good.
This is what pleases the LORD, to acknowledge Him, and to trust him completely.
To rest and cease from our own striving.

Isaiah 45 was a scripture impressed on me in a quiet time with the LORD in August 2008. We were stepping out in faith as the LORD had asked us to serve for a short time in Amsterdam.

Yesterday a son in the LORD from India emailed me this same text for the New Year.

I began meditating on these passages of scripture, and faith rose in my heart.
Why, because I can rest in His Sovereignty, knowing that God is in control.

In that quiet time in August 2008 the LORD spoke this to me:

“You have come a long way.
I am so honored to call you my daughter.
The faith in your heart pleases me.
It sets things in motion and it will not stop until my purposes are fulfilled.
Rejoice, your deliverance has come.
Rejoice, the way has been provided.
Rejoice, for you will see my hand.
Rejoice, for your God reigns.”

Faith moves the hand of God in your life. He will sovereignly move on the hearts of Kings in your behalf.

I Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

The LORD is very interested in perfecting our faith. It comes through various ways. We call them trials in Christian circles. We have all had them from time to time. I have been a Christian for 27 years and it has been a very interesting journey going from trial to trial. It has consisted of dealing with people, dealing with family, becoming one flesh with my husband, being a not so perfect mom, financial difficulties, church politics, being diagnosed with cancer, facing disappointments time after time. This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but just a few that come to mind. Can you relate? Probably.

1 Peter 4:12
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

I am convinced that the LORD is more interested in perfecting our faith than making sure we are comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I know that the LORD cares for me and looks out for my well being. He has been everything I need, and I absolutely do not doubt his love for me. Saying that, I am allowed to pass through some difficult places in life. Why? He is teaching me to trust. He is perfecting my character. My faith is 100 times greater than it was even five years ago. I can say that in all honesty and humility. It is to his praise, glory, and honor that I can make that statement.

It is through these places of hurt, disappointment, and challenges that we turn to Jesus. He is the only One who can walk us safely through them. In the process we become much better humans. We actually develop compassion for others.

Numbers 14:24
But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Caleb was one of the twelve spies that went into Canaan to check out the land. He and Joshua were the only two that came back with a good report. They knew God was bigger and they had no doubt they could go in and subdue this land. Why? God had promised it to them years before. They simply believed God would do what he promised. This is the kind of faith and trust God wants us to have. A wholehearted trust, an undivided heart. This is pleasing to the LORD.

God simply wants our wholehearted devotion to him. To trust him with our lives completely, even when it hurts or does not make sense.

Be of good courage.

Jesus Emmanuel loves you so much that He came to give you an amazing life here and for eternity!

I Kings 17:14
You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.

In 2000 Nate and I were pastoring an unruley bunch of inner-city kids. This was our 3rd year, and with very little support of any kind. We were discouraged. I am taking this entry directly from my journal on April 29, 2000.

Nate and I were cleaning the church today. I was vacuuming and praying at the same time. "LORD I am feeling very uncertain about everything. We need to hear from you. As I was vacuuming I came across a pile of hulls on the floor from sunflower seeds. I remember a group of girls sitting there last Sunday. They show little regard for our church building or for us. It saddens my heart, and I feel defeated. Please LORD speak to Nate and I about this ministry."
Nate and I prayed after we cleaned. As we were praying we heard something hit the window of the church. We looked over to the window that reached from ceiling to floor, and a very large black bird was sitting at the window looking in. (Nate remembered how the Lord had fed his prophet by the ravens). He immediately got up and said that he was going to call an older couple that in the past had given us much encouragement in the LORD. He said that they would be God's provision for the ministry at that time. We went to see them two days later, and they received us as their own children. They spoke into our lives courage, we were being refreshed so that we could continue in the work God had called us to do. We were so weary, but the LORD made it very clear we were not finished with these children. This couple also sowed $200.00 into helping with the cost of transporting and feeding many children twice weekly.

God is so faithful to his children! He does require things of us that will stretch us to our max, but He never leaves us alone. We have found He has many resources, usually through his body of believers. His Kingdom is the best!

I wonder what God has asked of you. Is it to stay home and pour His love into little ones? Is it to go into the marketplace and be his witness there? It could be to change an attitude of your heart that is not pleasing to him. Whatever it is, He gives much grace to walk it out with joy and peace. I hope that I did not give the wrong impression of the ministry being a burden. We loved those children unconditionally. It was a joy to serve them, but the kingdom does not come without oppostion.

So... stand firm in what God has asked of you to do. He is faithful to complete the work in you and through you.

Psalm 37:4 NAS
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart?

What desires are in your heart?

John 15:7-8
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

If we are abiding in the LORD, that is living in fellowship with him, and making him apart of our decision making। He in return puts His godly desires into our hearts. Its a beautiful cycle of abiding, thinking the very thoughts of God, faith being released in our hearts to do the very things the LORD has put in our hearts and minds to do.

I Corinthians 2:16 NAS
For who has known the mind of the LORD that he will instruct him?

But we have the mind of Christ.

So as I have made Jesus apart of my life, He continues to show me his heart for people. My thoughts begin to take on a measure of selflessness and I desire to serve humanity. In Nate’s and my life this is going to involve going to various parts of the world, but also serving where we are for now.

What are the thoughts that are whirling around in your head? If they are good, pure, and if they are peaceable (I would say) they are being put there by the LORD. Ask Him what you are to do with what he is showing you. I believe He is always showing us something that is good and selfless. It is his great pleasure to give to us what we ask for.

Proverbs 16:3 Amplified version
Roll your works upon the LORD (commit and trust them wholly to HIM; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and) so shall your plans be established and succeed.

This is another beautiful scripture stating that as we commit our works to the LORD, He in return begins to put his thoughts inside us. We begin thinking the very thoughts of God. Our thoughts becoming agreeable to His will for us. This brings me such comfort in knowing that I am not going to make a wrong move as long as I include the LORD in my decisions.

I encourage you to listen, and then to step out and do what He asks you to do.

Blessings my friends, Jan