Monday, February 6 – Psalm 115:3

But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

Have you ever had a moment where you struggled with another person’s authority over you? From an early age, it feels natural to resist authority. Respecting authority is something we must learn. While there may be reasons we feel justified to resist human authority, there is a much deeper issue when we push back against God’s authority.

God is sovereign—authority rightfully belongs to Him and is perfectly executed by Him. We even use the term “God’s-eye-view” in movies and stories to describe a perspective that sees the grand picture instead of a single segment of the story. His perspective is not only higher, seeing the whole picture of creation and history, but it is also focused on the smallest details in our lives and the deepest motivations of our hearts. When we recognize that God has this sovereign perspective and that our perspective is incredibly limited, it only makes sense to trust Him and His way over our own. When we struggle, He is the one who sees what we cannot. When we struggle to see how the pieces fit together, we can trust the grand narrative that He is bringing together. Because He is sovereign, we can trust Him even with unknowns and unanswered prayers. His sovereignty is different from the broken authority figures we see. Where people are distant because of their power, He is near. Where power is often used as a means of abuse and control, the Lord leads us gently with His loving kindness. With such a sweet authority in our lives, we can gladly surrender to Him all we have.

• When have you struggled with God’s authority and sovereignty?
• What is something you need to surrender to Him?
• Pray and ask God to help you trust His perfect authority and sovereignty.