“In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will.” - Ephesians 1:11, NASB
We have a telescope. I bought it for my husband early in our marriage, and honestly, we rarely use it. Not because we don’t want to, but because we don’t have the time or space to sight it, or there’s too much light pollution to really get a good view from it. But we have it, and it looks cool in our library.
Right about now, you are wondering what this telescope talk has to do with God’s sovereignty, and I am getting there.
While we don’t use this telescope often, if we did, we would find the stars on paths they follow each night. These little dots, so far away in space that we cannot truly fathom the distance, have charted courses. They have an order. One put in place by God.
Way back in Genesis 1:1, “the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Then God spoke, and light broke through the darkness, and He brought form and order to the chaos. I had never thought of that moment in relation to God’s sovereignty.
Yes, God’s sovereignty is His supreme, absolute rule over all creation; He possesses the power, wisdom, and authority to order all things according to His will. I saw it as Him being in charge. I saw it as Him being in control. But I had never seen it as “putting things in order.”
I understand this is largely semantics. But looking at God’s control as Him putting things into order hit different.
In my life, when things seem shaky, I remind myself that God is in control. He is sovereign. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing is greater than Him. I know He has a plan to work all things for good—for the fulfillment of His purpose. But that doesn’t mean some things don’t feel chaotic or formless or void. It doesn’t mean that some things don’t feel pointless.
But God, the Great Redeemer, isn’t just in control; He is putting things in order. The things that feel useless. The things that feel too small to matter. The things I don’t understand. The things that hurt. The chaos.
He will put it in order. God's ordering is not arbitrary; it is governed by His wisdom, righteousness, and mercy. And we can’t thwart His plan. No one can.
There’s peace and rest in that. That a trustworthy God isn’t just in charge, but He is intentionally and strategically putting everything in its proper place in a way that is steady and good. When we need to be reminded of that, when we need to see it, we can just pull out our telescopes and gaze at the stars.