Less than 24 hours ago, I was enjoying a lovely, summer-like day. It was 71 degrees; I drove to a shopping center in another city. My car windows were down, music pumping. And everyone else seemed to enjoy it, too. Sandals, flip flops, short sleeves, shorts adorn those who walked from store to store, soaking in their daily dose of Vitamin D.
Today, however, is a different story. It’s not 71 degrees, the wind is howling, there are occasional power surges and snow is falling. Ice forms on the window pane. Many may ask, “Why is there a sudden temperature change, and why should there be snow on what is supposed to be the first day of spring?”
I ask myself that question as I laid awake this morning in bed, and my thoughts were interrupted with this idea – God is sovereign! “Sovereign?” I thought. What does that mean and what does God have to do with the change of weather?
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, sovereign means “one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere.” However, according to Theopedia, God’s sovereignty is “the biblical teaching that all things are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (see Ephesians 1:11).”
There are so many biblical references that refer to God’s sovereignty, but these two stick out most in my mind: Psalm 22:27,28: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he rules over the nations.”
Deuteronomy 32:39: “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who puts to death and gives life. I have wounded, and it is I who heals; and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”
Incredible! Even in the midst of nature, God is in control. We may not understand the logic behind such changes (good or bad), but we benefit in viewing the wonders and power behind what is known as God’s majestic creation.