I've been there. Not in word, but in spirit. I always say and pray the right things, but sometimes inside my head I wonder, "How can this seemingly bad thing really be ordained by God?"
It's not a good place to be. It feels like you're standing on shifting sand. Doubting God is like doubting the very essence of reality. It's bigger than doubting yourself. And doubting that God is King and in control sets you up for a land mine of worry, fear, pain, confusion.
But I get it. Doubters, I get why you doubt God's sovereignty sometimes. That doesn't make it right, though. That just means I've sinned a mile in your shoes.
This world is a scary place, full of ISIS beheadings, destructive storms, murder and rape, misunderstanding and shame. But without God's sovereignty, we'll just be swept into the chaos. God's sovereignty is the rock. It is the thing that keeps us grounded in the madness. It holds us fast to faith amid the faithless, hope among the hopeless, and light in the dark.
Letting go of God's sovereignty is letting go of reason. Seeing life with Him at the helm is the only way we can make sense of this world. Hope would dissipate if we didn't see a why behind the what. If God's sovereignty was gone, there would be no reason left to exist. If the world was a snowball of man-made horror and sin and it was rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger and God couldn't touch it, how would we have faith?
So, Doubters, based on personal experience, I want to tell you two things. The first is that doubting God's sovereignty is like a little child doubting that her father know what's best for her. Her doubting makes life worse for her, and it's not well-founded. Whether she thinks it or not, her father does know what's best for her. She can simply choose whether she doubts that truth or not. Life just becomes sadder and falser and more complicated when she doubts.
Secondly, doubt is not a stage you go through; it's sin. God is on the throne. His will is advancing. He is in control. And when we doubt that, we doubt the very character of God. We say, "We don't like Your will. We don't like what You've done and so we think that maybe You aren't sovereign. Maybe You're just omnibenevolent but weak-willed." And that, Doubters, is calling God a liar.
"Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases" (Ps. 115:3).
So when the storm hits the Weather Network and church is cancelled again, or when ISIS releases another video beheading faithful Christians, don't doubt. Don't give in to the temptation to let go of reason. Cling to the one constant - the sovereignty of God. Put your hope and faith in Him.
And when the doubts come again, repent and trust God more.
Sincerely,
One of You