A Turn Of Events From God

-


   "So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God that the LORD might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat." - (2 Chronicles 10:15, NASB)

   "Thus says the LORD, 'You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.' So they listened to the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam." - (2 Chronicles 11:4, NASB) 

   Two verses of Scripture today that point to the same general idea. Solomon was the wisest man to ever live, according to Scripture. However, in his humanity, he acted foolishly by erecting and worshiping idols and "other gods", As a result his kingdom was going to suffer. After he died, his son Rehoboam became king. And, due to foolishness of his own, the kingdom of Israel split into two groups of people: the kingdom of Judah, with Rehoboam as ruler, and the kingdom of Israel, with Jeroboam as the head. Rehoboam attempted to reunite the divided peoples but was halted when the LORD told him, "...this thing is from Me..." (11:4) If we look one chapter earlier in Scripture, we notice that the LORD also told Jeroboam the same thing, "...it was a turn of events from God...which He spoke...to Jeroboam..." (10:15) This division of people's can be traced back to Solomon's poor actions, but there is more going on. We are talking about the sovereignty of God. 

   Theopedia.com defines the the Sovereignty of God as, "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 Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so, always and without exception. In other words, God is not merely sovereign de jure (in principle), but sovereign de facto (in practice)."** In other words, the LORD is God, and this is His world, created for His purposes and His pleasure. 

   Often times we become discouraged when our prayers seem to go unanswered, at least in the way we wish them to be answered, and we wonder where God is and if He is paying attention. Please rest assured, God is present, watching, and acting for His purposes. However, sometimes our purposes and plans dare not always compatible with those of the LORD. Personally I am convinced that there are many things happening in my own life, family, church, and world that are "turn of events from God." Sometimes it can be a little frightening because uncertainty has a way of causing fear to rise in our hearts. Yet, in spite of this, if we will simply bask in the knowledge that the LORD is good, and that He loves us and cares for us better than we can ourselves, then the perfect love of God can bring peace and certainty to our hearts. (1 Jn. 4:18) So, when events or news comes your way that you were unprepared for, rest in God's sovereign control and keep walking.












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Waste Your Pain

-
Image
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction... - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9    Affliction (pain and suffering) is an inevitable, unavoidable, and repeatable part of life. None of us are exempt. While  we would all like to avoid affliction, the truth is that pain and affliction  serve a greater purpose , whether it comes from our own choices, the ordinary course of life, an attack of spiritual forces, or from God Himself.  Richard Cecil is noted as saying, "God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” Even  though we cannot avoid affliction, we can use it for the glory of God. That’s right. Your pain can be used to glorify God. How do we do this?    First, we need to learn to receive God's comfort. Much like in life, some folks are better at letting others "in" th
Read more

Dependent Upon God

-
Image
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1    Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food
Read more

Biblical Apprenticeship

-
Image
"...Go therefore and make disciples... ” - (Matt. 28:18-20)   The Greek word mathetai is the term we usually translate as disciple, and it expresses the idea of "student" or "pupil". To me, the best understanding today of the biblical principle of disciples is apprentices. Think about it, in a typical apprenticeship a new generation of practitioners are prepared with on-the-job training and often some accompanying classroom work and reading.  Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 6 years, and generally involve four steps:     (1)  Commitment - At this level the apprentice makes the commitment to stay the course by receiving the education and training necessary to become the “journeyman”.       (2) Classroom - At this phase, the apprentice receives the information necessary to understand and work within the sphere of labor.      (3) Training - At this phase, the apprentice begins to put the information they have learned into practice. First by wat
Read more