Psalm 56:10,11

“This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

It is quite easy to misinterpret the sovereignty of God. Beginning with the understanding that He is perfectly cognizant of every detail of every created thing –from the sparrow that falls to the ground to the constantly-changing number of hairs on our heads (Matt.10:29,30), it is easy for our fallen hearts to decide that One with such a scope of observation and limitless power must not care much about those whom He has made. Why then the horrors of war? Why is there so much hunger in the world? Why do earthquakes and landslides ravish our planet? Why are maniacs allowed to stay in positions of authority over their helpless nations decade after decade? (In fact, Romans 13:1-5 seems to indicate that God put these people in their positions and that we are to honor Him by submitting ourselves to them).

All of the above questions are a little bit of a distraction from the central question that each person has: Is God on my side? The answer is yes. What effects should I expect in my life if I assume that God is for me? In short, we should expect a tale of redemption to be spun our of our lives. Redemption is all about starting with a train-wreck and ending with something of enduring beauty. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree….’” (Gal.3:13). Whose curse falls on us as a result of the law? God’s curse. Who redeems us from God’s curse? The Son of God. In a sense, God is the author of the problem as well as the solution (please don’t take this too far, as if He were the author of sin). Nevertheless, He ordains tough paths for us so that we despair of ourselves and trust in Him (Dt.8:3).

People are dangerous. When we fear them, it is because we have been given good reason to be afraid. And when it comes to dangerous people, I am on the top of my list. Who else has greater potential to put me in hot water than me? “I will trust and not be afraid–what can man do to me?” And I am just a man! Glory to God who tells His tale of redemption which will not be derailed by my deficiencies! Amen.