“I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)

“I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)

Three Ways We Need To Respond To God’s Sovereignty:

1. You need to cooperate with it.

“He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making.  He set it all before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.” (Ephesians 1:8-10) [Msg]

You cooperate with God by …

•  … obeying

“Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

• … praying

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

The Result: “… think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)

2. You need to contemplate it.

“¹⁰ The king replied, “Sons of Zeruiah, do we agree on anything? He curses me this way because the Lord told him, ‘Curse David!’ Therefore, who can say, ‘Why did you do that?’” ¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and all his servants, “Look, my own son, my own flesh and blood, intends to take my life—how much more now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse me; the Lord has told him to. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will see my affliction and restore goodness to me instead of Shimei’s curses today.” (2 Samuel 16:10-12)

3. You need to celebrate it.

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)“

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” ¹⁴ You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)