Only a ‘need to know’ policy…

 

A servant in a palace knows that all things in that place belong to its owner. None of it belongs to the servant who is charged to take care of it. In the household of God, I am a servant. He owns all things, some of which I’m given to use or take care of. This dominion or ownership of God means I need to yield all things to Him.

Charnock extends this to say that because I am under His authority, if something happens that causes me concern, I need to not pressure Him with why is this happening. Instead, I must humbly lay my cause at his feet, and say: “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” (1 Samuel 3:18) After all, all is His.

That includes His to-do list. I don’t get to see it, only my part in it. That means He seldom shows me why my prayers can mean a long wait for His action. I can get impatient, as if the Monarch of the world should jump to it for me? This is getting it backwards, as if the King of kings should lay down His scepter to gratify my demands. This displays my pride, vanity, and totally selfish thinking.

The dominion of God would stop my vain curiosity too. One example was when Peter wanted  to know the fate of John. Jesus said to him: “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22)

This means that I am to consider my duty, and lay aside my curiosity since it is God’s decision to not reveal many things to me. As Charnock says, the sense of God’s absolute dominion would silence many vain disputes in the world. What if God will not reveal this or that? He does not tell me all His mind, only that what I need to do what He wants from me. Yielding to His sovereignty means letting Him be God and make all decisions known or remain a mystery. I’m not to spend time and energy prying into or speculating about matters that are unknown to me by His choice. I’m to just trust Him.

This kind of yielding is about faith and about how pitiful I am compared with God's excellency and the great distance between Him and me. The more I think of His greatness, the less I’m concerned with myself, and the more apt I am to fall before Him in praise instead of impatience, vain curiosity, or selfish demands:

He is to be praised for his royalty Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (Psalm 47:6–7)

His goodness calls for my thankfulness, but his sovereignty calls for a higher elevation of it. Goodness is felt and appreciated on this end, while sovereignty calls for glory to God, regardless of how I feel or am blessed. Why should such a great God care about me anyway? Or offer me blessings? Or answer my prayers?

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. (1 Chronicles 29:14)

PRAY: These thoughts impact my prayers to You. Yesterday, more surgery for our granddaughter and a heavy heart. I could scarcely think of her situation without fear and tears. Yet Your whispers came through. You are God. You are good. You do what brings You glory as You alone deserve it. Putting my focus on Your greatness and Your dominion over all things, even an infected and serious injury, changed my thinking. You will do what is right. My anxiety was focused on the lie that You do not want the best for Your people. If You decide to take her home, that is because of Your goodness, not because You don’t love or care for her or for her family. We are the servants but also Your children, and You work on behalf of Your family for our good. For this, I am joyful and now wait to see what You have planned — for Your glory.

Later: the operation eased her pain and brought her much joy. Thank You, Lord!

Did the devil make this happen?

In reading about God’s dominion over all things, I’m encouraged to trust Him even more by reminders that all evil spirits are subject to His authority. Job comes to mind as everything that Satan did to harm this man and take from him the evidences of God's goodness happened only because God gave this evil enemy permission to do it. 

That OT book reveals that when terrible things happen, God is not oblivious. He has a purpose, just as the NT says:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

While I know that if God gave sinners what we deserve, we who trust Him would not be enjoying His mercy and grace, but as Charnock says, the evil devils “have cast themselves out of the arms of his grace into the furnace of His justice” and by their revolt, forfeited the treasure of his goodness. But they cannot escape from the realm of His dominion.

This applies not only to evil spirits but to all who refuse to own Him as Lord and Father. Instead, they are under Him as Lord and Judge and not set free from His rule.

Just as a human ruler is lord over his criminals as well as of his loyalest subjects, so God has this same rule over all. Job’s story tells me that God uses wickedness to do His will, not by their authority but by His.

Even when criminals and sinners refuse to live under God, those who punish them or pull them into the consequences of sin, it is not about the power of anyone else. No one can say that the devil made them do it or the devil is punishing them, because when the devil is used by God for the punishment of any, it is an act of His sovereignty to make evident His justice. Many nations use vile people to do their dirty work with their natural malice but for His own purposes. 

That is, God can use evil beings to execute His judgments upon their followers, as well as sometimes inflict discipline upon His own servants. No matter what is happening, God has reason and purpose because He is sovereign. Think of it: He ordered the destroying nature of fire to preserve His three children, and let it loose to consume their adversaries.

And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. (Daniel 3:27)

Jesus ordered storms to cease because, “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” (Psalm 89:9) His dominion extends over the highest ruler and the lowest peasant; the proudest millionaire and the poorest beggar. He “shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.” (Job 34:19)
In innocence, or in revolt, I am under His authority, whether I obey or violate His will. He even orders where I live. (Acts 17:26)

History shows human pride designing and attempting to rule, politicians and religious figures alike, yet none can do it because God’s authority cannot be surpassed.

PRAY: Lord, in these days when leaders spar as if they are the ultimate monarchs or will be, You laugh at them (Psalm 2) knowing how foolish are such notions. Yet fear strikes many that tyrants will ruin our lives. As I read of Your dominion and yield to it, fear walks out the door and my heart laughs too. Who can out-do God Almighty? You gave me the ability to say NO to evil and evil ideas, and YES to Your will and purposes. Grant discernment and faith to know which is which and to laugh with You at the vanity that hits the news. May I see it knowing that no matter what is going on, You are pure goodness and righteousness, and You remain on the throne — nothing happens without Your permission and Your righteous good will.



 

A firm foundation

 

Most Christians would say that God is sovereign yet often we respond to life as if He is not in charge. Perhaps this is why His Word is filled with reminders that He is all powerful and His DOMINION endures forever.

Yesterday a conversation prompted me to read Psalm 2 over the phone. The caller was rightfully indignant at decisions and actions in the world that make no sense. We agree that the Lord wants us to stand against injustice yet I felt compelled to repeat the reminder that God is in charge and “laughs at” the plans of leaders who defy Him. His dominion overwhelms all other rulers and authorities. We can voice the injustices we see yet that truth needs to be a solid foundation under our protests. The dominion of God gives our call for justice the credibility needed to keep our hearts from despair, not just at the injustice we see but when our prayers, cries and actions seem futile.

Dominion can mean — dominance, power, or sovereignty through legal authority such as the dominion given to kings and other authorities. Ultimately though, all dominion is under the realm of God’s rule. Dominion can be about that or about obedience given to His rule . . .

Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:20–22)

Disobedience to it or being oblivious to God’s sovereignty does not change the fact of it no more than a speeding motorist changes the law concerning speed limits. This is black or white, yes or no, never partly, or in only some areas. God rules, period.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. (Psalm 145:13)

How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. (Daniel 4:3)

How does His rule play itself out? Looking at Jesus is always a good way to answer questions about God. Jesus set aside His right of dominion, became a servant and died for the sin of the world. Doesn’t sound much like a sovereign God — yet that is not the end of the story:

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (Romans 6:9)

Death did not and does not dominate Jesus Christ or in any way exercise control over Him. He mastered death; death did not and cannot master Him. He is the author of life. He is life itself. When He returns, He will display the reality of His dominion. Even though we may not see it at this time, “He will display (it) at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:14–16)

For that reason, Christians declare His controlling power to direct and determine, to govern. We submit to His rule over our lives because we understand that . . .  

Jesus Christ (is) the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5–6)

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Why is this important? Because it changes the way I live. It gives me endurance and the promise of heaven. Because Jesus lives in me, it also gives me power over sin and the ability to stand against the evil one, whether he is attacking me or enticing people around me to defy God. I want to be: “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Colossians 1:9–12) I also want this: “sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14) and to be “strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, putting on the whole armor of God, that I may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10–11) Thank God that His dominion is my victory!