GOD IS SOVEREIGN STILL

Keyword SOVEREIGN (adj): of the most exalted kind, possessed of supreme power; unlimited in extent

“Yet you, God, are sovereign still…” Psalm 102:12 MSG

This Psalm starts out so rough.

It’s called: “A Prayer of One Whose Life Is Falling to Pieces, and Who Lets God Know Just How Bad It Is.”

Eleven verses of raw frustration and real questions from a heart that is worn out. Sickness and depression have taken over. The Psalmist’s appetite is gone, he can’t sleep, and he feels like death. Everything is going wrong, and it seems like he is being attacked by everyone around him.

Worst of all, God seems to be in on this whole thing.

I think we can all relate sometimes to this venting, this questioning, this disillusionment with God and life and everything going wrong at once.  

But then we read verse 12: “Yet you, God, are sovereign still…”

In his commentary, Charles Spurgeon explains it this way:

“Now the writer's mind is turned away from his personal and relative troubles to the true source of all consolation, namely, the Lord himself, and his gracious purposes towards his own people. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever...

The sovereignty of God in all things is an unfailing ground for consolation; he rules and reigns whatever happens, and therefore all is well.”

Sovereign?

Fully powerful. Completely in control. The creator and finisher of all things. The God who holds us reigns over every aspect of life and death and never, ever leaves his throne.

Even when the results are not good? Even when the phone call doesn’t come? Even when we lose someone we love? Even when things don’t seem to be getting better? Even when our worst fears are coming true?

Still?

Yes. In spite of the bad news, the chronic pain, the loss, the grief, the disappointing results. This form of the word “still” means nevertheless. No matter what happens, God is sovereign.

It feels so awful, so defeating when we are trudging through the hardest stuff of life. It’s really hard to think about anything else. But if we can find the strength to look up and remember that he is still on his throne, things start to get a bit brighter. Hope rises. Peace and rest and even joy begin to wrap around our fragile hearts.

What a turnaround.

From what we feel to what we know to be true.

From what we see to who we trust.

From focusing on ourselves to keeping our eyes on our God who loves us.

Dear Jesus, you know the discouragement and the questions I am struggling with. Please help me to see YOU in the middle of my confusion and stress. Even when it feels like my life is falling to pieces, I will trust that you are sovereign still. Amen.