What is the Sovereignty of God 

The sovereignty of God is the same as the lordship of God. God is Lord over all of creation. The major components of God’s lordship are his control, authority, and presence. 

That God is in control means that everything happens according to His plan and intention. That God has authority means that all His commands ought to be obeyed. That God is present means that we encounter God’s control and authority through His presence. 

Trust in God’s Sovereign Control 

When people talk about “divine sovereignty,” they usually refer to God’s control. God met with Moses in Exodus 3 and reveals his name Yahweh, that name, God’s lordship, reveals to Moses that God, not Pharaoh, controls the affairs of Egypt, Israel and the world for that matter: 

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. (Exod. 3:19–20) 

  I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’” (Exod. 6:7–8) 

Note the last four words of this promise: because God is Lord, the sovereign, He will deliver Israel from Egypt and bring His people into the promised land. Because God is in control, nothing can stop the Him from fulfilling His promise.  

Practically speaking, this means that no election, elected official, or political party has authority that is not allowed by God. Nothing takes Him by surprise. God does not call emergency cabinet meetings after Congressional votes or Supreme Court rulings. Therefore, trust in God’s sovereign control. 

Obey God’s Sovereign Authority 

God’s sovereignty is more than control, however. His sovereignty also embodies His authority: what the Lord commands, His creation must do.  In the covenant which Moses delivers to Israel after God sovereignly redeemed them from Egypt, God begins by identifying himself as Lord (Exod. 20:1–2) and on the basis of that identification, God proclaims his Ten Commandments. Because he is sovereign, his authority is absolute and should be obeyed. That means: 

• We should not waver in our obedience to him (Rom. 4:16–22) 

• His lordship transcends all our other loyalties (Matt. 10:34–38) 

• His authority over us exists in all areas of human life, not just in the areas that we arbitrarily call religious or sacred (1 Cor. 10:31; cf. Col. 3:17, 24; 2 Cor. 10:5). 

Practically speaking, this means that our first obedience is not to politicians or party platforms. We are not soldiers of the elephant or the donkey; we are sons and daughters of the Lamb who has ultimate authority. When Joshua encountered God Himself on the night before Jericho’s walls toppled, God revealed who indeed had authority: 

And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” (Josh. 5:13-15). 

Who many scholars think is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ says, “I didn’t come to take sides; I came to take over.” 

Rest in God’s Sovereign Presence 

The third attribute that defines God’s sovereignty is His presence with His people. In Scripture, the Lord is the One who takes people to be his own (Exod. 6:7; 2 Cor. 6:16). When God takes us to be His people, he fights our battles, blesses us, loves us, and sometimes (as a loving Father should) disciplines us. He summarizes all this by saying that He is with us.  

In the Old Testament, He fulfills his presence with Israel in the tabernacle and the temple.  

In the New Testament, he dwells with us in Jesus, “God with us,” Immanuel (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23). He “tabernacles” with us (John 1:14). 

And after his ascension in the church age, He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us as his temple (1 Cor. 3:16). 

But God’s presence is not only with his chosen human beings. For God’s whole creation is also in covenant with him: he is the Lord of all creation. His presence is everywhere, or as theologians say, he is omnipresent (Ps. 139; Acts 17:28). 

Practically speaking, this means that whatever happens in Egypt or Jericho or Washington or Dallas, our sovereign Lord is with us in control and in authority. Whatever happens in our sovereign country is going to give way to an eternal kingdom. Our hope is not riding in on the wings of Air Force One; because our sovereign Lord is with us now and forever