We must simply listen to God when it comes to the sovereignty of God. We must have God tell us what it means for him to be sovereign, lest we import limitations or possibilities into God that he doesn’t find in himself.
John Piper
Our Hope
Isaiah 45:7-9 (NLT)
7 I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.8 “Open up, O heavens,
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
Our Insight
“The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell almost 3,000 points, the biggest one-day plunge ever…”
That’s the news that millions of Americans carried to their pillows last night as they tried to make sense of the day’s events and what those events will mean for them. With news like that, there’s reason for concern. And, as Christ followers we bring those concerns to the only One who knows our fears, our anxieties, and our future.
You’ll notice that we are beginning our devotions under the heading Our Hope, which contains our Scripture reading for the day. It is a reminder to our hearts that God’s Word is always the basis of our hope.
As we ponder God’s sovereignty, we are not at this time “raising our hands” with our questions. Instead, we are asking the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and ears to first and foremost hear and see what God says about Himself. To that end, I’d like to invite you to take a moment to do the following:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hear and see what God says about Himself.
- Go back and slowly re-read the verses above from Isaiah 45.
- Form a sentence in your mind that you would say to someone if they asked you, ”What does God say about Himself in Isaiah 45:7-9?”
Our Prayer
Take the sentence that you formed, the phrase that takes God’s Word in Isaiah 45 and puts it in your own words, and use it to guide you in your prayer this morning. For example, as I did this exercise myself, the phrase that came to my mind was: “God is in charge and I am not.”
So, my prayer might go something like this…
God, Almighty—yes almighty—which already reminds me that you are mightier than me…
I acknowledge that you are in charge, not me.
From Light all the way to Darkness, from what I think is “good” to what I think is “bad” and everything in between, on top, or around…
You are in charge, God.
And I worship You.
Now, pray your own prayer…
Our Gratitude
Before closing this devotion, take a moment and bring to mind one thing—at this moment—that you are thankful for. And thank God for it.
