Divine sovereignty

Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Here is the proof that what I say is true: “This year you will eat only what grows up by itself, and next year you will eat what springs up from that. But in the third year you will plant crops and harvest them; you will tend vineyards and eat their fruit. And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will put roots down in your own soil and grow up and flourish. For a remnant of my people will spread out from Jerusalem, a group of survivors from Mount Zion. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 37:30-32 NLT

From the text, God asserts His sovereignty over man’s actions. Divine sovereignty should be accepted by everyone. The purpose of God is what explains the unpredictable and unprecedented events of history. This is what is emphasized in Isaiah’s prophetic reasoning. Our responsibility of trusting God and coming to Him in prayer is compatible with God’s divine sovereignty. God wants us to believe this for this is what the Scripture is teaching us. Yet, when things are not working well with us because of the circumstances we are facing, we hesitate to believe it. Once we ignore this truth we will end up demeaning God in our thoughts. We should abandon the spirit of pride for it will prevent us to come to God in prayer. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). This was what happened to Hezekiah. He had a change of heart that he turned back to God. He realized that they had missed so many opportunities experiencing God’s power and presence because they were not consistent trusting God. Now Hezekiah was willing to follow God in His own terms. God promised that He will honor his faith and that He will sustain a remnant after the Assyrians invade Judah. What will get us through in times of trials is not our zeal but God’s persistent love to us. God is committed to us so let us not ignore His love instead, just like Hezekiah, let us trust Him.

Blessings,