Early in my Christian walk, I went through a difficult season when I began questioning is God really in control. I had trouble trusting Christ, and because I struggled to trust Him, I also struggled to believe He was truly in control of the things that mattered most to me.

My job.
My purpose.
My relationships.
My finances.

One afternoon, I spent hours in a Christian bookstore searching for an answer to one question:

Is God really in control?

Maybe you have asked the same question.

When life feels uncertain, it can be difficult to believe that God is still at work. We look at circumstances we cannot fix, people we cannot control, and situations we cannot understand, and we wonder where God is.

J. Hampton Keathley III described God’s sovereignty as the exercise of His supremacy, authority, and power. God is infinitely greater than anything He has created. Nothing and no one outranks Him.

Think about that for a moment.

Imagine gathering the most powerful people on earth and putting all their influence and authority together. Then add everyone else. Add every government, every institution, every army, every angel, and every other created being.

God is still greater than them all.

That truth gives us hope.

The doctors performing your child’s surgery may have tremendous skill, but God is greater than their ability.

The politicians making decisions that affect your life may have influence, but God is greater than their authority.

The people who hurt you or made decisions that shaped your past may have affected your life, but God is greater than their decisions.

The people at work who seem to control your future may have influence over your career, but God is greater than their influence.

The person who seems determined to stand in the way of your purpose may have the ability to create obstacles, but God is still Lord over your purpose.

That doesn’t mean we will always understand what God is doing.

In fact, there will be times when His sovereignty makes little sense to us. We may pray for one outcome and receive another. We may face circumstances that seem completely out of control. We may wonder how God could possibly bring anything good from what we are experiencing.

I don’t have an answer for how God does it.

There is a mystery to the way God works through our problems, disappointments, mistakes, losses, and unexpected turns. We cannot always see what He sees or understand what He is doing.

That is where faith comes in.

We trust God’s sovereignty because God has told us who He is. We don’t need to understand every detail of His plan before we can trust the One who holds the plan.

Romans 8:28 reminds us:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Notice that Paul doesn’t say we will understand all things.

He says God works in all things.

Your circumstances may feel out of control today, but they are never outside God’s control. The situation may be confusing to you, but it is not confusing to Him. You may not know what He is doing, but you can trust that He is still working.

So if you’re facing something today that has you wondering, “God, are You really in control?” remember this:

Yes. He is.

You don’t have to understand everything God is doing to trust Him with everything you cannot control.

Prayer

Lord, help me trust You when I don’t understand what You are doing. When circumstances feel uncertain, remind me that You are still sovereign. Give me the faith to place my job, purpose, relationships, finances, and future in Your hands. Help me rest in the truth that You are working even when I cannot see it. Amen.

Digging Deeper: What does Daniel 4:35 say about the extent of God’s influence over mankind? How about Job 42:2? What does this scripture say about God’s ability to make His plans come to pass? How do you feel about what is revealed in these scriptures? Take a moment and thank God for His sovereignty and rule.

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Additional Resources

The Blueprint for Life eight week study will help you discover how to live by faith and trust God!  The study contains a workbook and ten audio messages featuring Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Tony Evans, John Maxwell and others. Now available for digital download.  Click here to check it out!