7 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

1 Chronicles 13:1-16:6
John 19:1-27

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

John 19:10-11 (CSB): “So Pilate said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?’ ‘You would have no authority over me at all,’ Jesus answered him, ‘if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

As we listen to Pilate say that he had the authority to release or to crucify Jesus, we may find ourselves agreeing. After all, if someone broke into our house, aimed a loaded gun at us, and said that they had the ability to kill us or keep us alive, we would tend to agree with them. After all, they are the one with the gun and their finger on the trigger. We would feel that we are at their mercy.

That’s why we’re so glad that Jesus spoke after Pilate said those things. Pilate said what we tend to think is true (but is actually false). Jesus spoke what is absolute truth.

Jesus made it abundantly clear that Pilate was not the one in control of that situation. Pilate thought he was the one in the position of power and Jesus was in the position of weakness. Pilate genuinely thought he had Jesus’ life in his own hands.

But Jesus made it clear that Pilate was not in charge. God was!

John 19:10-11 (CSB): “So Pilate said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?’ ‘You would have no authority over me at all,’ Jesus answered him, ‘if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.'”

Jesus clarified Pilate’s false theology. Jesus said that Pilate couldn’t lift a finger again Him if God did not allow it.

We can read about this principle in so many places in the Bible. One such place is the first couple of chapters of Job. We read there that Satan had to get permission from God before he could do anything to Job.

Job 1:12 (CSB): ” ‘Very well,’ the LORD told Satan, ‘everything he owns is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself.’ So Satan left the LORD’s presence.”

We also hear Jesus explaining the outworking of this principle in Matthew 10.

Matthew 10:29 (CSB): “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.”

This is a profound truth! Satan can do nothing without God’s permission. People cannot do anything to us, no matter how powerful they may seem, if God does not actively will it or passively allow it.

Ephesians 1:11 (CSB): “In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,” (emphasis mine)

But, like so many biblical truths, we may struggle to fully understand it and it’s implications. So, as we try to understand it, we can end up in a very unbiblical place. For instance, someone may believe that nothing can happen to us without God willing it or allowing it, so what would stop someone (in theory) from running onto an interstate and stepping in front of an 18-wheeler that is racing down the interstate? If God didn’t will for that rig to kill the person, it wouldn’t happen, right? Well, there’s another biblical principle that applies here.

Matthew 4:7 (CSB): “Jesus told him, ‘It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.'”

We believe that God is fully in control. But we don’t presume on this truth by doing things that are reckless. If we do, we are not demonstrating faith; we are demonstrating foolishness. It is certainly not biblical.

While we must never recklessly presume upon God’s sovereign care, we can find so much comfort in this biblical truth, properly understood. Friend, nothing can ever happen to you that God doesn’t will or allow. Yes, many of the things that happen to us are bad. Some things are pure evil. And while we cannot fully understand God’s workings in our life, we should find comfort in knowing that our God is in full control and that even the bad things that happen to us are working for our ultimate good if we love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

One of the explanations of this truth that I have found so helpful was written by John Piper in his book, “Desiring God.” He said that God sometimes look at events through a narrow angle lens, and He sometimes looks at things through a wide-angle lens. When He looks at the bad things that happen to us in a narrow lens, He is angered and grieved. But when He looks at the bad things that happen to us with His wide-angle lens, He is pleased that everything is accomplishing His purposes.

After all, think about one of your favorite movies or books. Almost certainly, it had plot twists. Bad things, maybe even evil things happened to the hero in the story. But that’s what made the story interesting and kept you captivated. It’s what built character into the hero and it’s what pulled the story to its desired end. The bad things are a necessary part of a good story.

The story of your life is no different. Bad things are going happen. This life is not Heaven. But find comfort in Jesus’ words that no one, no matter how powerful they may seem, can do anything to you unless God allows it. Nothing can happen to you unless God permits it to be so. And everything that comes in your life is intended to draw you closer to Jesus, forge endurance and character, and enable you to demonstrate how good your God is.

Find comfort in this! And let the difficulties in this life cause you to crave being with Jesus in Heaven one day all the more.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you understand what it means that He is sovereign as you study His Word.
  • Ask God to help you find the comfort you need in His Sovereignty.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into God’s sovereignty, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that God is sovereign?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)