Tag: sovereignty

The World Changes Faster Than You Think

pastortravislv

One of the mistakes that we can make, a mistake that can keep us from realistic thinking, is the belief that the world will continue to be as things are right now. We live in an age of change. In truth, the world has always been able to change in a moment. There are events, big and significant happenings, that lead to reshaping nations. And when we do not remember that, in the hands of the Lord, nations rise and fall, we fail to remember how great and sovereign is our God.

Here is what I mean. We think, as Americans, that we live in a nation that will stand in the future as she has for the past nearly 242 years. We think that we will always be in a nation that is the dominant power, or one of the dominant powers in the world. But we forget that the US has not been a superpower for nearly as long as we think. It is only after World War II that our nation rose to its position of international prominence. It has been less than a century that our nation’s thoughts and actions have been supposedly important on the global scene. And we would be foolish to think that such power and influence and success is our national birthright, a privilege that cannot be lost.

Think how often in history that the entire course of the world has changed in a moment. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand started a war that covered the globe and rewrote the maps. World War I led quickly to World War II. Had these wars not happened, consider the strength we might see in nations like Japan and Germany. With one political move in the second decade of the 20th century, the world moved to bring nations like the United States and the Soviet Union to power as they turned to massively change the fortunes of the Empire of Japan, Germany, and Italy. The world changes, and it does so quickly.

In case you are curious, this is all on my mind from a daily Bible reading in 2 Kings 9-11. There we see an event that changes the structure of two nations for years to come.

2 Kings 9:21 – Joram said, “Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

That encounter did not go well for the two kings. Jehu shot Joram with an arrow and his men took down Ahaziah. In one day, two kings fell and their nations were changed. This led to Jehu destroying the temple of Baal and the prophets of Baal in the northern kingdom. Later, the same would happen in the south. And the world was different, vastly different. And The Bible tells us that this was according to the plan and power of God.

God changes the world, and sometimes he does so faster than we might expect. God brings down kingdoms we thought would stand forever. God brings down religions that believed they could stand against him forever. God changes the map. God brings forth nations we thought were long gone (Israel in 1948 as an example). God pulls down nations that we thought would always be superpowers (the Soviet Union in 1991 as an example).

Now, here is the thinking point for us. Why would we think that we stand on any soil more firm than did people of the past? The same God who establishes and who destroys nations is still God over all. In a day he can change the world. IN a moment he can topple a superpower. IN a moment he can bring a godless nation to repentance (Nineveh after Jonah). In a day, he can redraw the map.

Friends, we must remember that the true King of kings is in heaven. We do not have the power to force or stay his hand. Our borders mean nothing to him. Our military might is nothing when compared to the Almighty. Our young nation, less than two-and-a-half centuries old, is not impressive to the Lord. We are as subject to his power as were the Kings of Israel and Judah.

So may we be humble. May we seek the Lord. May we realize that we must have the grace of God if our nation is to stand. May we repent. May we plead with the Lord for mercy. We have sinned against God as a people in countless ways. We need to bow to him and pray for pardon. And we need to know that God can change our nation. He can change us to honor him in obedience. He can change us by judging and destroying us, which is also to his honor. Let us remember that the Lord, he is God, and he is above all kings and all nations forever.

God and the Heart

pastortravislv

When Saul was anointed king, he did not particularly want the job. When Samuel told him what was to come, we have nothing that makes us think that this appealed to Saul. In truth, we see nothing of Saul’s response to Samuel’s prophecy. But, when Saul turned to leave Samuel, God did something that we need to see.

1 Samuel 10:9 – When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.

God gave Saul a new heart. God, by the supernatural power of God, for the all-important glory of God, based on the perfect plans of God, took action on the heart of Saul. God reached into Saul and changed him. God gave Saul a desire. God did not go against Saul’s will. God seems to have changed Saul’s will so that it would align with the plans and purposes and glory of God.

Does this offend you? Does the concept of God moving your heart so that your desires match his own bother you? I hope not, as this is something that God does with his people. The Lord gives new hearts, new desires, new obedience to whom he chooses.

Here is the truth that Christians need to grasp: God works on the heart, from the inside, in ways that we cannot imagine. God changes human hearts. If the Lord did not do this, all humans, every last one of us, would oppose him because of the stain of sin passed down to us from Adam We would oppose God because of our own self-destructive rebellion. WE would oppose God because of the deceptive work of the devil. But if we do not oppose God, this is because God has given spiritual life to a spiritually dead soul, giving a new heart to a person the Father has given to the Son.

God Works Out Circumstances From Both Sides

pastortravislv

When you and I have problems in our lives that we desire the Lord to help us through, often we fail to have faith in what God can do. We only see the problem from our own point of view, and our understanding is terribly limited. We fail, especially when we do not remember what the Lord might be doing on the other side of our situation, the side we cannot see.

This thought hit me when thinking about the anointing of Saul as king over Israel. If you know the story, you know that Israel sinned against the Lord in their desire for a king. But God told Samuel the prophet that he would give them what they asked for. In truth, God will give Israel exactly the kind of king they wanted, handsome, tall, and strong. Of course, Israel did not ask for a godly king, and they would not get one in Saul.

The way that God brings Saul and Samuel together is what fascinates me. Saul’s father lost some donkeys. Saul and a friend when out looking for the animals. But they did not know that God was using those circumstances to bring them to the prophet, Samuel.

1 Samuel 9:15-17 – 15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”

Samuel, for his part, was told by God to expect to meet Saul on a particular day in a particular town. ?And the Lord made it happen.

Here is where we might find encouragement. God was working on both sides of the issue to bring Samuel and Saul together at just the right place and in just the right time. God told Samuel that Saul would come to him. All Saul was doing was looking for donkeys, but God was moving in Samuel’s life to prepare to anoint Saul as king.

Consider when you pray for something like the salvation of a lost friend or a need that you deeply desire to have met. Do you remember that God is working on the side of the problem you cannot see? Do you remember that, while you are hunting down your lost donkeys, God might be moving someone into place to meet you and change your world? Do you remember that, when you want to witness to someone, the Lord might be doing things in their heart that you cannot see and may never learn about until eternity?

Friends, we should remember that our God is sovereign. God moves in ways we cannot imagine. He can move people’s circumstances to put them right where he wants them, even when we have no idea what he is doing. Let us trust the Lord. Let us pray in faith. Let us remember that God works out problems from more than one side.