Understanding the Sovereignty and Will of God

For years, I have been a youth pastor, and seemingly one of the most common questions I get about prayer is, “Why should I pray if God already knows what I’m thinking and if He is sovereign and in control?” This question always leads me to another interesting and possibly uncomfortable question, “Can God really be in full control in the presence of free-will?”

In order to unpack this question, we have to ask another. “What is free-will and why was it necessary for God to give it to us?” The dictionary describes “free will” as, “voluntary choice or decision, or freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). You see, love is about choice! True, unconditional love never manipulates or dictates, but rather it gives the right to choose to another in the hopes that they will choose to love in return. 1 John 4: 7-8 tells us, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (NKJV).

If God is truly selflessly love, then by nature, He had to offer us the choice to be in relationship with Him. Historically, anytime someone has forced another person to do something without consent, those people are often labeled dictators or criminals. Even in our crooked world, our culture does not take it well when one person makes another person do something against their will. This being said, when God made man, He wasn’t looking for a puppet, He was looking for relationship and companionship. He was looking for someone who would choose Him!

Once in a time of worship with the Lord, I heard Him singing over me. He said: “You give purpose to my love, it’s why I made you. It’s why you mean so much. Your heart is all I want. What is love without someone to hold? What is power without someone to rule? If every significance is found in relationship, I long for every heart. Oh I’ve got endless love, and I want more hearts to fill up.”

This concept is the very foundation for understanding why a perfect and holy God would create man from the dust of the earth and give him free will. God created us as vessels to be filled with His love and to be cherished by His goodness, but not understanding the heart of God and His good nature often times causes people to try to fill that void with things other than Him. These other things cannot bring fulfillment, because they have no substance.

God is the only true substance in the universe, every created thing was intended to be a vessel for His love and an outlet for His creativity. So naturally, if you try to fill a void with something that is also void of substance, it will only perpetuate emptiness. Without filling a cup with liquid, there is nothing to be poured out, and in the same way, if creation is not filled with God, it will feel void of purpose and have nothing to offer. Here is the good news: God did not create us empty so that we would suffer, but rather because His intention was to live in a state of continually filling us up! Being filled is what happens when we enter into covenant relationship with Him through our obedience!

In Genesis 1:1-2 it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (NKJV). From the beginning, God’s intention has been to fill the void and emptiness of creation. This goes to show, that God did not create you to “use” you, as an abuser uses a victim to receive something for themselves in a selfish manner! God created you to serve you, and because of His act of pouring into you, you now can overflow with His love to others! This is why in Matthew 20:28 it says, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (NKJV).

God, in His infinite selflessness and unconditional love chose the difficult road of giving us free will. If He was a selfish God, looking for servants, and empty worship, He would of made us without free will, because that would have been the more convenient route. Think about the hassle humanity has created for Him in all of our selfishness and sin, yet, even knowing the choices we would make, He still gave us freedom to choose. Even more astounding, is the fact that time and time again, He runs to our aide to clean up our messes when we humble ourselves and cry out to Him.

Here’s an interesting side note, in Genesis, at the very start of the world, it makes no mention of God creating hell. It says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This alone, proves that God original intention was not for hell to be created. As the creation story continues we find in Genesis, that over the course of the first three days, God does a special work separating that which is different. He separates the day from the night, the foundation of earth from the skies, and the land from the waters. These things actually were created to co-exist and complement one another. Without the distinct separation between these things, the environment would not sustain life.

When God calls things separate, it is not to discriminate but rather to appreciate how small differences can complement each other. This is also, why God created man and woman. Two distinct genders, created equal, but with unique strengths, so that they would learn to selflessly serve one another and work together in the face of each others weaknesses! In learning how to appreciate the differences in our own kind, we would learn how to appreciate and respect the difference between man and God. And we would walk in the fear of the Lord understanding our place as created beings.

In the Garden of Eden, before the fall of man, we see this beautiful ecosystem God created where man was filled with His glory, and as a result, Adam and Eve’s lives glorified their Creator! The relationship was mutually beneficial by the nature of selflessness. Everyone received what they needed and lived fulfilled because they lived to serve one another. Since the very fall of man, God has been setting us up for this ecosystem to be restored by causing heaven and earth to collide once again.

Genesis 1:26-28 says, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (NKJV).

This means that God relinquished a portion of His control to us in this scripture when He commissioned us to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion. When He made us in His image and likeness, He created us with this incredible ability to use reason, discernment and perception. He called human kind to govern the dimension of earth. Interestingly enough, the word subdue means, “to bring under control especially by an exertion of the will” or “to bring (land) under cultivation.” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Dominion on the other hand, means, “law: supreme authority : sovereignty” or “absolute ownership.” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). In order to give us choice, God gave us control of our will and part-ownership of our world. Just let that sink in.

So, back to the question about God being in control… Is He really in full control, if He gave a portion of His control over to mankind? The answer is yes and no. Yes, He maintained sovereignty of what is eternal for Himself. He decides on everything once we step out of the earth realm and into eternity. His sovereignty is like an arc above the earth, spanning from the beginning of time to the end of time and infinity. He has the final word on all things. Regardless of what we choose or control for ourselves on earth, at the end of our lives, we will all stand face to face with His judgments concerning our choices. But also the answer is no. He is only in control on earth when humankind surrenders our portion of earthly dominion back to Him. And that is what He hoped we would always choose. Does this mean God is not all-powerful? The answer to that is a resounding, "NO!" He is all-powerful, but he restrains His power, using extreme self-control, so that we might exercise our dominion.

All too often, I hear believers saying things like, “God is in control” or “God will never give you more than you can handle.” And many times, these statements are not fully backed by surrender, therefore, they cannot be fully true. God is only in control of our lives in the earthly realm, if we let Him be. This can either be the most freeing thought on earth, or the most terrifying, depending on how much control you are willing to give back to Him. God yearns to intervene on earth, but He will never overstep this idea of free will, and so, He waits for our permission. This is why prayer is important. Prayer gives God permission by surrendering our portion of control and dominion back to Him.

(I will speak on intercession at a later time. Intercession gives God permission to legally intercept a man from the destruction of his own free will, if another human with flesh and blood is praying on their behalf. Intercession is the key to seeing God's will manifest in the lives of those who aren't yet ready to give God permission of their own accord. It's the reason Christ had to come in the flesh to take back the dominion given to man and stand in the gap for all of humanity's salvation.)

Think about a family. The way God set up the family unit was for a Father to be responsible for His household, for a mother to submit to her husband while training her children acting as a nurturing teacher, and for the children to live under the protection and authority of both parents. Just because a parent tells a child to do something, does not always mean that the child is going to do what was asked. The free will of the child must first decide within themselves if they believe the authority figure in their life has their best intention in mind.

When a father and mother has selflessly laid down their lives, and have been consistent in their efforts to care for a child, it is easier for the child to submit to their authority. Through a system of rewards and consequences and constant positive encounters with their parents, they begin to realize, when mom and dad say something, it is to protect me, grow me, and cultivate my potential! The same is true with our spiritual Father, in His loving kindness and patience, He reaches out to us consistently, in the hopes that we might understand that He knows better for us than we know for ourselves.

Here’s another thought to further my point: If a child decides of their own accord, to make a decision without consulting their mother and father for wisdom, can their parents change the decision they made once they have acted? We know, scientifically, that “for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction.” This is also true of our decisions. When we act, there is a ripple effect of such actions. This is why parents enforce discipline. To teach their children, how to act in a way to receive positive reactions rather than horrible consequences. In this case, the parents, though responsible for the child, cannot be held fully liable for the decision the child made of their own accord.

Unfortunately, once an action has been made, the parents of a child can only be reactive, not proactive. They cannot change that which was chosen. Now, if the child has enough sense, to ask their parents for wisdom before acting, then the parents have an added measure of ability to create the best outcome possible for their child. The same is true of our relationship with God. God can bring redemption to negative choices we have made when we go to Him for help after the fact, but He would rather us humble ourselves and ask for wisdom in prayer while surrendering control, so that He can work things for our very best without us ever having to experience the consequences of our actions.

This idea of free will not surrendered to God is the very reason why bad things happen on earth. People get to choose, and every choice we make has a ripple effect that reaches far beyond ourselves, whether we like it or not. This is also why God declared some activities as sinful. He knew that there were certain choices that had a ripple effect that would wound and hurt everyone involved, keeping them from receiving His perfect will for them. As a parent, this is something I have come to understand at great lengths with my children. When I see them hurt each other, it grieves me. I would never choose that for them, so I try my best to train them to do the things that will show love and build each other up, rather than choosing the things that will cause pain and destruction.

In its most simple form, prayer is communicating with God. It’s living in union and submission, by asking for wisdom at every turn and seeking the perfect will of our Father for our lives and the world around us. If we want to thrive in our God-given authority, we must understand the heart of the One who chose us and formed us. As our Creator, He is the only one who can define what we were created for and what is best for us. As we communicate with Him and obey His commands, we begin to see a beautiful life unfold before us because the wisdom of God will always lead to the greatest fulfillment and purpose.