GodSprings - April 09, 2016

Is My God Always Able?

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Daniel 3:17-18 (NIV)

Jim Wallis in his book God’s Politics reported an incident during the apartheid days. During the deepest, darkest days of apartheid when the government tried to shut down opposition by canceling a political rally, Archbishop Desmond Tutu declared that he would hold a church service instead.

St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa was filled with worshipers. Outside the cathedral hundreds of police gathered, a show of force intended to intimidate. As Tutu was preaching they entered the Cathedral, armed, and lined the walls. They took out notebooks and recorded Tutu’s words.

But Tutu would not be intimidated. He preached against the evils of apartheid, declaring it could not endure. At one extraordinary point he addressed the police directly.

[quote] You are powerful. You are very powerful, but you are not gods and I serve a God who cannot be mocked. So, since you’ve already lost, since you’ve already lost, I invite you today to come and join the winning side! [/quote] With that the congregation erupted in dance and song. The police didn’t know what to do. Their attempts at intimidation had failed, overcome by the archbishop’s confidence that God and goodness would triumph over evil. It was but a matter of time.

God is sovereign. This basically means that God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, and however He wants. God is in complete control, and He reigns over everything and everyone. He is all-powerful, He is all knowing, and He exists everywhere. Nothing is beyond His knowledge and nothing is outside of His ability to control. Knowing this, we must also keep in mind that God only and always exercises His power and authority according to His holy character. God does what He does because He wills to do everything according to His good pleasure. God is never pleased to will or to do anything that is evil or contrary to His goodness. Now, the real test of our understanding of God’s sovereignty lies in our willingness to trust in God, no matter the outcome.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (formerly named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) were about to have their understanding of God’s sovereignty put to the ultimate test. One day, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon set up a golden statue of himself and commanded everyone in his kingdom to bow down before the statue in worship. The punishment for disobeying the king’s order was death. Needless to say, everyone in the land fell down before the image in worship. Everyone, that is, except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Nebuchadnezzar had them immediately brought into his presence and gave them one last chance to bow down or die. They still refused to bow to his image, and told the king that their God was able to deliver them from death. But even if God chose not to spare them, they still would never give their worship to anyone other than God.

These three young men understood that God was in complete control over their lives. God was sovereign over their situation. They knew that just because God was able to save them did not mean that God would save them. They knew that God might say no to their request for deliverance, but that would not change or negatively affect their willingness to stand for God and even die if necessary. They understood that some prayers are answered with a yes, and others are answered with a no. They knew that some people die young, and others live long lives, that some people are delivered from suffering, and others are not. They also knew that no matter what, God was in control. They truly understood the sovereignty of God, which allowed them to leave the outcome in His hands.

Every day, we are faced with the test of whether we are going to trust God or not. Granted, the test is not a matter of life and death every day, but God wants us to trust Him, no matter the outcome. Are we willing to serve God, even if we are not delivered? Will we continue to trust Him, even if we are not healed? Is God sovereign? Yes. He always has been and always will be. Does God always deliver us from our difficulties? No. But God is always

able.