Positive Recognition of God’s Sovereignty In “All things”

By Arthur J Licursi

Romans 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

 

The following writing was inspired by the writings of Norman Grubb, from his many books. I believe the Father, by Norman’s writing and by His Holy Spirit, has opened to me yet a further understanding of “all things”, the good and evil, being of God (Isa 45:6-7). I’ve written before about “all things” being of God, yet now I see it deeper and more total than ever.

Isaiah 45:6-7 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. 7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. (Strongs #7451“evil, “ra”, meaning, bad, evil, calamity, hurt, mischief, grief, …)

You may say, “Why is seeing God as the One who is “totally sovereign” so important?”

Norman Grubb uses the term “Total God” for seeing God as the One master, the One all-powerful being, who ordains all things that come into the life of the believer, and at work in the world according to His divine, “giving”, purpose. Norman explains that before seeing God as “Total God”, God in his eyes had been limited in His sphere of action and capabilities, which Norman then came to see, as being utter foolishness.

Either God is the Almighty God, the sovereign Lord, or He is not. Many Christians say in word that God is all-mighty, … but they must frankly admit they see two powers; … since they also see Satan as being very powerful, and evil, operating contrary to God’s will, but mostly, at most times, operating apparently outside God’s realm of influence. They see two powers, when, in fact, there is but One power – God alone. Isaiah 45:5b there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

Please note that I am not saying God is evil, but I do know that He uses the evil that was set in motion by the rebellious rise and fall of Satan, whom He created, as the negative tool in His hand to work the eternal determinate purpose of God, for the eternal good. Consider, was it not God, as Father, who gave His only begotten Son to be crucified for the world of mankind – that in Him they might have life (1John 5:11-12)?

It is necessary for us to see that the invisible and eternal realm, the eternal life of the eternal kingdom sphere of God is what counts. If we value this temporal life and world as being real, then we will be most hurting and disappointed. The visible world is the faux world; it represents the negative, the evil background, against which we may come to see that we are only secure in the almighty Lord, in Christ, as we have faith and trust in God, who is above all things, even holding this earth together. Col. 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Our faith becomes substance as we believe and continue in trust. Faith may be momentary, but trust implies ongoing reliance upon God as the bedrock of rest in God. It is continuing trust in God that gives the substance to faith. Until we have entered His rest and peace in a matter, faith has not yet been substantiated in our life.

Apart from recognizing that all the things that come into our lives personally, and in the world, are of God for my good, I am troubled on every side and without the rest that He has ordained for “some” (Heb 4:5-6). I then live in total negativism, with dread, fear, and anxiety of living. Conversely, as I acknowledge that God loves me and is using all the things that come into my life for my eternal good, and according to the determinate counsel of His will, I am at peace, enjoying the daily happenings, troubles and all, as being for the good (Rom 8:28-29).

There was a time I dared not say all things were of God, so I would say God permitted all things. This is twisting the truth to fit the limitation of my understanding at that time. Peter, we see here below, uses the word “determinate”, meaning, “planned and purposeful”; there is no mincing or “permitting” here.

Acts 2:23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (NASB)

Was not the crucifixion of Jesus an evil act? Yes, but it was according to “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”. Who was it that crucified the Son of God? Yes, evil men, inspired by the Evil One, perpetrated it, … but this was according to “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”. We cannot say, “Well, God permitted this”? No, He “meant it”; He meant it for our good in that God “was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2Cor 5:19). The outcome was more than reconciliation; the ultimate outcome was the deposit of the divine life of Christ into the human spirit of “as many as received” (Jn 1:12) the Life giving Spirit of Christ. By this “self-giving”, the Father gained us as the many sons of God.

We see this truth that God “means” for “all the good and the evil things” that come into our lives for the “good”, repeated over and over throughout Scripture. Consider Joseph who said in Genesis 50:20 And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

This was after his brothers threw him into a pit and left him for dead, to ultimately become second in command in all of Egypt; a position that God meant and planned for Joseph, to be used when Joseph later saved the lives of all Israel from starvation.

Did you notice the end of Genesis 50:20? “to preserve many people alive”. Most of us would love to be love-bearers and life-bearers to others. The normal result of our living in trusting alignment with the Lord, by seeing all His work in our lives as being positive and for the good, even when outwardly they are evil, is as an “overcoming life” in the sight of others. We thus become bearers of His life, light, and joy to others.

Ephes. 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him (God) who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Once we’ve come to see and accept this understanding of God as “Total God” acting in love toward us, our view of the things we encounter in life has changed. We accept positively that that both the good and evil are working for the good, and as Paul said, “we count it all joy.” Every day becomes an adventure in positively trusting Him for all things. No longer hindered by having to care for our self (He careth for us, 1Peter 5:7), we can reach out to be lovers of others.

2 Cor. 8:2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

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