Hello ,

Exercise your faith - Installment #2 - Submit to the sovereignty of God.

It's one thing to say that we submit to God's sovereignty, but what happens when God doesn't do things that we think He ought to be willing to do? 

In Luke 8:22, Jesus told His disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." The disciples obeyed, and their obedience took them right into an incredibly hostile storm. 

I've watched television preachers look right into the camera and say, "It's not God's will for you to have any storms in your life." Luke 8:22 might cause us to question that statement. 

The "rub" takes place when we think we know what God's will is for a particular situation. 

We sometimes have faith in something that we think we know, only to recognize later that we knew very little about how God would respond in a given situation. 

A good name for God is "not me," but Christians often struggle with thinking that they know how God should perform (if He is to fulfill their understanding of Who He is). 

Submitting to God's sovereignty leaves room for God to do things that we may not understand in the present tense. 

God doesn't always heal, as much as we want that to happen.

God doesn't always answer prayers with a "YES!"

God doesn't always perform in ways that we think He should in His "God-ness." 

Some people are more interested in a divine "vending-machine" God Who does what they desire (after they've pumped in their prayer-request-payment). 

Look back over your life. 

Think about a time when you wanted something, and asked God for it, only to receive a solid "no!" 

Looking back, what might've transpired if God had answered your prayer the way you wanted Him to in the moment? 

Submitting to God's sovereignty can be tough on our "faith-muscle," but we're promised that our Heavenly Father will never leave us through it all. 

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word