God's Sovereignty over Life

One week ago, President Trump was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, PA. The bullet grazed his ear, but had his head turned at a different angle or the bullet a few more millimeters inward, the result would have been catastrophic. Praise the Lord he survived! How do we explain these margins of survival? Battlefield soldiers often ask the same question when they survive, but others in their squad die. The answer: the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God.

God is sovereign over the affairs of men. He controls outcomes, causing all circumstances to align with His overall will. The Lord Jesus was delivered to crucifixion “by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Jesus saw the goodness of God in His crucifixion, by praising the Father (cf. Ps. 22:3). Nehemiah entered the king’s presence with a sad countenance on the exact day that would begin the countdown of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy (Neh. 2:1). He also quickly noted "the good hand of my God upon me" (Neh. 2:8). The Apostle Paul gathered a bundle of sticks for a fire on the island of Melita, only to realize that one of the sticks was a cold, stiff, very-poisonous snake, which bit him in the presence of the people. The episode let to a great opportunity to testify of Christ (Acts 28:1-6).

God has a plan for your life. He is a good God. He has a time appointed for each person to die. When circumstances happen in the unique or peculiar way they do, know that God is in control. He is working His will for our good so that we can glorify Him in a greater way. We can trust His sovereignty and we can trust His goodness.