Our God is sovereign.

“And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church…” Ephesians 1:22

One of the attributes of God that I love most is His sovereignty. He holds supreme power and authority and is in control over all things. Maybe I love this about Him so much because I have struggled my whole life with the issue of control and wanting to be in control of everything, only to learn the hard way each time that things in general tend to be better off when I am not in control of them. The more I try to assume control and authority over the details of my life, the more I experience disappointment and pain. Why? Because I was never intended to be in control of my life. Why? Because God’s way was, is, and always will be far better than my own.

I wonder if you find yourself nodding your head as you read my above confession, understanding the struggle. We have a very hard time with things like surrender, submission, and humility because we want to be in control. We want to be calling the shots, at least when it pertains to our own lives. This is usually where faith gets tricky because God asks us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Him. (Luke 9:23) We, however, like to write out the blueprints for our lives, hand them to God, and ask Him to place His stamp of approval on them. But, that’s just not how He works.

Take a moment and look up Psalm 8:6. What similarity do you see in this verse and Ephesians 1:22?

Ephesians 1:22 and Psalm 8:6 are telling us that God chose to exalt Jesus Christ over everything. I usually like the extreme statements in Scripture because I tend to be somewhat extreme myself. So, when both verses use the phrase “all things”, I assume that God means “all things.” Therefore, you and I can conclude that not just some things or even most things have been placed under Christ’s authority, but ALL THINGS. That includes the past, the present, and the future. That includes you, me, and all of our plans for our lives. That includes every figure of authority here on this earth. ALL THINGS have been placed under the authority of Jesus Christ. He is in control. He is sovereign over all. There is nothing that is above Him in any way.

I find a tremendous amount of hope in this truth. He is never surprised or taken off guard. He is never threatened or overthrown. Remember what we studied just a few verses ago in Ephesians 1:20? Jesus is seated. He is not pacing back and forth in the heavens, awaiting the decisions we make and anxiously responding to them. No. He rules over all of creation seated. The One who spoke the universe into existence rules over it with His feet up. Not stressed. Not worried. Not anxious. Not wondering.

Sovereign.

Therefore, you and I can let go. Our tightly clenched fists that carry the heavy weight of our problems, fears, and concerns can be opened up to the God who is in control of all things, including the very things that cause our lives to seem out of control. He knows. He is present. He cares. So loosen that grip on all that you exhaust yourself trying to control, and allow the One who is in control to take care of it. Why? Because our God is sovereign.