GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

Matthew 10:30 — The very hairs of your head are all numbered. According to the Bible, God sovereignly rules over all things. Nothing happens outside God’s will (Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:13). When Jesus said that God has numbered even the hairs on a person’s head (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7), He meant that God’s sovereignty extends to the smallest details and to matters that might seem insignificant. Scripture shows that God’s governance is manifested in two ways. First, God directly executes His will, as when He created the universe, the angels, and mankind. Second, God permits certain events to occur, provided they remain within His plan and will, as when He allowed Satan to afflict Job. God never desired for Job to suffer harm. However, He permitted Satan to attack Job and used the situation to test him so that Job might realize the true measure of his faith (Job 42:5–6).

The story of Job also shows that Satan has the power to kill people, even in large numbers and with ease, yet he must first obtain God’s permission before he can act (Job 1:12; 2:6). Nothing, whether great or small, occurs in the entire universe or in the lives of human beings apart from the will of God. Does knowing this bring peace to our hearts? By holding the truth of God’s sovereignty together with Romans 8:18, we as Christians can know where true peace comes from.