Christian Living
The Sovereignty of God and Unemployment
Okay God, I know that I am to take care of my family, but would you please soon, and I mean VERY SOON give me a job?
I have done all that has been required of me by man, I have searched with all diligence for a way to feed my family, keep a roof over our heads and the comfort that running water and electricity bring and a means of getting to work should something come along!
“Yet after six months of completing a state sponsored retraining program in medical administration that was supposed to help to me get a job, I find myself in want of a job!”, I often complained to God in my thoughts and prayers.
Recently I had breakfast with my pastor, it was one of those situations where I did most of the talking and little eating, he was finished with his meal long before me.
One of the questions that he asked me this, “What had I learned during my time of not working?”
I could not come up with any answers that would satisfy him or so I thought. I struggled to come up with an answer for his question, but when I did, it was from my heart and it pleased him (not that I was trying to please him), so I gave what I had been learning from my morning prayer and Bible study time.
Simply put, my answer is this, “God is sovereign and we as mortal must accept that reality.”
Now I will turn this into a mini research paper, partly because we (I) need to know what sovereignty is and how it applies to me (us). Secondly, because I am going “nuts” waiting, I see the means to take care of my family and I have the job skills to do so, but I am unable to do so for some reason unseen with human eyes or human intellect why it is not happening! Thirdly, this gives me a way to “vent” my frustrations and maybe in the process God will receive the glory due to our King!
Sovereignty is defined by Mr. Charles C. Ryrie in his book, Basic Theology, pages 48, 48.
“The word means principal, chief, supreme. It speaks first of position (God is the chief Being in the universe), then of power (God is supreme in power in the universe. How He exercises that power is revealed in the Scriptures. A sovereign could be a dictator (God is not), or a sovereign could abdicate the use of his powers (God has not). Ultimately God is in complete control of all things, though He may choose to let certain events happen according to natural laws that He has ordained.”
"Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as Head above all" (1 Chron. 29:11). KJV
In his classic book entitled, The Sovereignty of God, author A.W. Pink defines the sovereignty of God as.
“The Sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the god-hood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psa. 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is "The Governor among the nations" (Psa. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the "Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).
Now that we have a definition of what he sovereignty of God is, let’s tackle the problem that I am having right now. How do I (we) deal daily with this fact when all around us things are falling apart?
In my own case the major problem is unemployment, in your life it may be health issues or problems with your wayward child(ren) or some issue that I have not even thought of.
I envision the sovereignty of God to be a box, let’s say in my vision of it is just your ordinary box about the size of the old Rubix’s Cube that came out on the market in 1974. For you Dr. Who fans, the cube is not solid; it is like the TARDIS, larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Into this box I put all of my cares and concerns and even my worries, it is my way of getting rid of the junk that loads me down, it has plenty of room inside to handle my cares as well as those of every human who has ever taken a breath of air.
Yet despite this play of the mind and imagination, my soul cries out, “There must be more to His sovereignty that I (we) can use in my (our) daily life that will reset the pain we experience in this life!”
A word of caution is in order before I move on. We are not to judge God by our experiences; they are not to be trusted as a true measure of His being. Because we are sinful mortals, we cannot “critique” a Holy, Righteous God! We have no way to experience Him in His fullness because of our sinful flesh.
We can though experience His presence in our lives through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit that He gives to all true believers in His only Son, Jesus Christ!
So now having said this let me continue, I speak as one who does have the Holy Spirit living in my heart as defined within the pages of scriptures. Plainly put, I have confessed my sins to God, repented of them and sought His forgiveness and asked Christ to come into my life. I then received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
So I can say as based upon my experience despite what my emotions or intellect tell me, despite what my heart and soul tell me, God does know what He is doing!
Right now that is difficult to totally have a deep peace about when I look around my world to see it on the brink of falling apart! My emotions and thoughts are quickly stirred up into a froth like the waves of the ocean during a violent storm!
It may only take a letter in the mail or no response from an employer that you applied to a few days (weeks) ago or waking up from a nap, someone says something to you before you are totally awake and you take their head off with your words!
Despite these situations, God is in control and on the days or nights when my soul is disquieted, I find relief in the simple act of going to Him in prayer.
Sitting still, not presenting to Him my shopping list of requests for Him to get for me, just simple sitting still in my spirit, waiting on Him to quiet the storm of my soul. I envision being in the Temple in Jerusalem and I see the Ark of the Covenant and the smoke of the incense in the air filling the place and the light of His presence.
It is a comforting thought to bathe my troubled spirit in the comfort of the light of His presence! God is light; in Him there is no darkness! Within me lives the Holy Spirit who is light, my sinful flesh is darkness.
After a while my soul is at peace and I can resume my sleep because I often get up late at night to do this, the house is quiet and there are no demands being placed upon me in the middle of the night.
I have also found it helpful to repeat back to God when I pray theological principals that I had learned while I attended Bible College a few years ago. As an imperfect being, I have nothing worthy to give to a Holy God, His Word is perfect and true, and so I give back to Him that which is Holy and without error due to the sinfulness of man.
In closing, we live in a world of sin, our first father Adam because of his disobedience to God was judged for that sin. His sin has been (imputed) passed down to the rest of humanity. By the righteousness of Christ I have been justified (declared righteous) and I now live as one sanctified (process of being made holy).
Jesus Himself said it best for us as recorded in John 16: 33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” KJV
The apostle Paul likewise tells us many years later in 2 Cor. 4: 7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” NIV
So, whether unemployment, health, children or any other event has you troubled, with all of your being, take a deep breath of the Breath of God and relax, God is in control, regardless of what we think or experience in our lives! Rest upon His unchanging Word; it has never failed anyone who trusts in it!
Rest in the Lord, take time to sit in His presence and let Him take away your cares, trust me, it does work! It is in and of itself an act of faith on our part and acknowledges to Him that we know He is God! Not many days may go by before you’re right back there, but you know that He is there waiting with open arms!
One last word of encouragement! Our Lord is returning for us, very soon! Think on that thought, all of this existence won’t even be a memory in the light of His presence!
Maranatha! Our Lord returns!
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 826 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Charles Fincher or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 826 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.