How Sovereign is Sovereign?

                                              How Sovereign is Sovereign?        

   
    John Piper wrote a book called “A SWEET AND BITTER PROVIDENCE”, and it is a terrific look at how God works sovereignly in peoples lives. He tells the story of Ruth and Naomi, saying that “behind a frowning providence” lies God’s sovereign plan, and that is a great comfort. He says, “It is not comforting or hopeful in their pain to tell people that God is not in control.” (Which by the way is our only other choice.) “Giving Satan the decisive control or ascribing pain to chance, is not true or helpful. When the world is crashing in, we need the assurance that God reigns over it all. Those who are exposed to the greatest dangers are those that most cherish the sovereignty of God.” Ruth, after all, is included in the lineage of Christ. Can we doubt that this is part of God’s sovereign plan?
    Here is a somewhat startling example. Five missionaries were killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. One of their sons, Steve Saint, tells of learning details within the tribe that should have made prevented the killing of his dad. He wrote the following:
        “As the natives described their recollections, it occurred to me how incredibly unlikely it was that the killing took place at all. It is an anomaly that I cannot explain outside of divine intervention.”

“I can only explain the spearing of my dad by virtue of divine intervention” Do you hear what this son is saying? “God killed my dad.” If you read more of the story,(the book THROUGH THE GATES OF SPLENDOR   or the movie, THE TIP OF THE SPEAR)you see that the entire tribe believes in Christ when his mom goes back to share her faith with them. There is an account of a man in Africa that built a church for his tribe after hearing of this story. The repercussions of this event stretched far beyond what his dad could have imagined his ministry’s impact being had he lived. Is God 100% sovereign, in spite of the pain and heartache? It’s a little easier to believe when we see the results, but no less true when we can’t. There-in lies the problem. We tend to only believe if we can see the proof. Arrogantly telling God that he can only be allowed to be sovereign if we see it with our own eyes and approve. Really? 
    Recently Steve Saint was involved in an accident, leaving him with severe injuries. His faith is unshaken, and I can’t help but wonder that the circumstances of his childhood helped to mold his trust in God.
    Ultimately, it all comes back again to trust. And that trust will be tested in new ways every day. Ways that we can’t imagine. Ways that we can’t predict. Ways that will seem trivial, and some that will stun us with the depth of their pain. I am so glad that even when I fail to learn to trust him, he never fails to be trustworthy. Even when I can’t see.