To What Degree Is God Sovereign In Our Lives?

In my older years I have a lot to look back on. Many things have happened, some good and some bad. Some have changed the course of my life. The big question I have continually asked myself is, were there times when part of God‘s sovereignty was to allow my life to go according to my dreams, personal plans and goals with resulting consequences? Were there times when things happened that went against God‘s overall plan? Would my life have gone in a totally different direction if I had not made certain decisions or used poor judgment? In all honesty, I am living a “what if” life.

Some decisions I was forced to make due to economic hard times. One of the things that changed the course of my life was when I was on a church staff as a minister of music, and without any explanation and no wrongdoing, the pastor told me I was no longer needed on the staff. I found out a week later that the situation could’ve easily been handled and corrected through a simple conversation. Was I not in the will of God or did the church do something very unjust, and why did God allow this to happen? This affected my emotional life for years to come and altered the whole course of my life in a very negative way because that is what I had gone to seminary to do.

I am not going to use spiritually sounding phrases in this article but rather deal with reality. I began attending another church where an opening for a minister of music came up. I applied for the position, but was totally ignored. A big name composer from the outside was hired instead. That was a double whammy.

I had pretty much given up on churches. Other than a position at another church that lasted for 10 years, but was only a small and meager side income, I spent the next 40 years doing secular jobs that had nothing to do with music.

With all that has been said consider this quote from author Jerry Bridges: “How shall we respond to the fact that God is able to and does in fact, move in the minds and hearts of people to accomplish His will? Our first response should be one of trust. Our careers and destinies are in His hands, not the hands of bosses, commanding officers, coaches, and all other people who, humanly speaking, are in a position to affect our futures.  No one can harm you or jeopardize your future apart from the sovereign will of God. Moreover, God is able and will grant you favor in the eyes of people who are in a position to do you good. You can  trust your future to God…We can put this down as a bedrock truth: God will never allow any action against you that is not in accord with His will for you. And His will is always directed to our good.” *

Here are some Bible verses that relate to God’s sovereignty and our personal choices:

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me…

Job 42:2  I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose.

Now for some questions that are not spiritually sounding. I am being real here.

I have asked myself many times, how did the church experiences work out for the good?

Why would God put it within my heart to go to seminary to get a degree in church music ministries to have it suddenly cut out of my life to no fault of my own?

Have I lived most of my life out of God’s will, or have I been a victim of churches who treated me unjustly and in violation of God’s overall purpose?

I do believe that God has an overall plan for our lives, but I don’t believe as do some that He is involved in every little detail or in every decision we make. That is just my opinion.

To end on a positive note, God has given me the gift of writing, through which I can share biblical truth, and my life experiences with a global population. I have shared my life experience.

I welcome your comments about the subject of God’s sovereignty in light of what I have shared in this article.

*Jerry Bridges, “Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts, NavPress, 2008, pages 71 & 73