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The doctrine of Sovereignty shows predominately in 1 Kings 3:5-15. This is where the Lord appears to Solomon in a dream and asks him to ask for whatever he wants of God. Solomon asks for a “discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong”. God is pleased with his request so God also granted him wealth and honor.
We have talked about God’s sovereignty before knowing that it is His rule, power and plan over all time, people and circumstances. We get it, in our head, that He knows the beginning from the end and has all authority but do we walk in this truth? That’s the hard part. I spoke last week about control. We all strive to have it but if we are really honest with ourselves we don’t want it. Many times I find myself fully exhausted at the end of a day saying “I wish someone would just tell me what to do, what to eat for dinner, what to wear tomorrow or how to deal with so-in-so”. Solomon was asked of God, “What do you want?” His response, “just tell me what to do”. He recognized God’s sovereignty.
I just walked through a tough season with my daughter, a transition….school life to real life. As she graduated with her Bachelors in Nursing, passed her state exam, she is fully ready to be a nurse. But was she? The first few weeks were fabulous but as she started settling in and left alone to take care of 6 patients without a preceptor the anxiety, frustration, and lots of tears began. This lasted several weeks to the point where I was really concerned if she was gonna make it through. I struggled with God’s sovereignty. He wasn’t caught off guard, He knew, He had been there with her in her first class at FAU and was now with her in her scrubs at Holy Cross Hospital. Remembering His sovereignty fuels our hope. He doesn’t always explain our future but He does assure us that He will be there with us in our future. Fast forward, it was like “overnight” and she was managing and managing well. I ask her what happened, what got her over the hump. She just smiles, shrugs her shoulders and says Jesus. I asked her, “did you ever just ask Him to do it for you? She said “everyday”. Well then, that’s your answer. Sometimes we can’t explain it, He just shows up. You’ve heard the phrase “sometimes you don’t know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you got”. I encourage you to get the best sleep of your life tonight – know that God is in control.