Is God in control of everything?

Is God in control of everything?

God controls all things, working out everything in conformity with the plan and purpose of His own will.

GOD'S CONTROL EXTENDS TO THE WHOLE UNIVERSE.

He is the only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15): His throne is in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19).

He sustains the whole universe by His powerful word (Nehemiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:3).

The government of the entire universe is His (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 135:6; Daniel 4:35).

GOD'S CONTROL OF NATURE FOLLOWS.

All natural forces are in His control (Psalms 29:3-10).

The elements are at His command (Psalms 68:9; Jonah 1:4).

All the processes of nature are at His direction (Genesis 8:22; Psalms 107:33-34, Psalms 107:38; Jeremiah 31:35).

GOD'S CONTROL OF HIS CREATURES FOLLOWS.

His care, for example, extends to the smallest of His creatures: He gives the beasts their food (Psalms 147:9).

Not a single sparrow falls to the ground apart from His will (Matthew 10:29).

He can appoint all His creatures to perform His will (Jonah 1:17; 2:10): even for ravens to convey bread and meat to His servants (1 Kings 17:6).

HE GIVES A SURE FOOTING IN LIFE TO THE RIGHTEOUS
GOD'S CONTROL OF HUMAN BEINGS - AND OF EVIL INDIVIDUALS - FOLLOWS.

There are occasions when God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has put up with evil individuals due for destruction. His purpose has been to make known the riches of His glory to those whom He has purposed to save (Romans 9:22-23).

Sometimes God sees to it that the worst of people are allowed to be exalted so that they may fulfil His purposes without their knowing it (Isaiah 10:5, Isaiah 10:7).

He uses even the enemies of His people to discipline them in their disobedience (Judges 2:14-15, Judges 2:21-23; Judges 2:3:12).

On the other hand, He can harden the hearts of His people's enemies so that they fall into His people's hands or even destroy themselves (Joshua 11:20; Judges 7:22).

GOD'S CONTROL OF NATIONS FOLLOWS.

God fixed the boundaries for the peoples of the world (Deuteronomy 32:8).

He can make a nation large or small (Obadiah 2).

In the affairs of the world, and its rulers, the Lord puts down one leader and lifts up another (1 Samuel 16:1; Psalms 75:7).

He uses heathen nations to accomplish the disciplining of His disobedient people (Isaiah 5:26; Amos 3:9-11; 6:14; Habakkuk 1:12).

So far as it has suited His purposes, He has allowed nations to go their own way (Acts 14:16).

Behind the strange, and sometimes unexpectedly generous actions of unbelieving rulers towards God's people at various times is the working of God in their hearts without their knowledge (Ezra 1:1). Examples are Tiglath-pileser (Isaiah 10:6-7), Cyrus (Isaiah 41:2-4), and Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:21)- they pursued their own chosen path, and served the furtherance of God's will, though in their personal lives they were disobedient, self-willed and sinful.

GOD'S CONTROL OF HISTORY FOLLOWS.

His dominion is everlasting and His kingdom endures from generation to generation (Daniel 4:34): thus all the events of human history are under His direct control (Revelation 9:15).

He fixes the epochs of human history and the limits of human territory (Acts 17:26).

God is at work in unrecognized events and processes to achieve His purposes of blessing. It was the Lord who sent Joseph ahead of his brothers to Egypt (Psalms 105:16-22); it was the Lord who turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate God's people (Psalms 105:25); it was the Lord who called Cyrus, a heathen ruler, 'His anointed' because He was going to use him to accomplish His will for His people (Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1-4).

The outstanding example of God at work in an event to achieve His will - unrecognized at first - was the Cross (Acts 4:28; compared with 2:23).

In all the events of history God is working out His purpose of calling into one body, the Church, men and women of every nation and people, saved through His Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:2-11).

GOD'S CONTROL OF ALL CIRCUMSTANCES FOLLOWS.

God, not chance, decides what happens in human affairs (Proverbs 16:33; compared with Jonah 1:7).

Behind every circumstance is the Lord (Amos 3:6).

He can shorten life or lengthen it (Job 1:21; Psalms 102:23).

The Lord brings both prosperity and disaster (Isaiah 45:7); success and victory in battle (1 Samuel 11:13) and the ability to get wealth are from Him (Deuteronomy 8:18), as too is the power to bring illness or to remove it (Deuteronomy 7:15).

Ordinary daily needs are within His concern and control (Matthew 6:30, Matthew 6:33).

The will of God may be worked out in what appears to be a complete accident (1 Kings 22:28, 1 Kings 22:34).

GOD'S SPECIAL CONTROL OF AFFAIRS ON BEHALF OF HIS PEOPLE FOLLOWS.

God's care extends to all individuals, and especially to His people (1 Peter 5:7).

He delivers His people from trouble (Psalms 23:5; Psalms 34:7; Psalms 107:2).

He can hand His people over to their enemies for a period to discipline them if need be (Judges 3:8; Judges 4:2; Judges 6:1).

God is in complete control when His people are persecuted (Acts 8:1, 4; Philippians 1:28-29).

He gives a sure footing in life to the righteous (Psalms 33:18-19).

He supplies every need of His children according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19), guaranteeing that everything in life will be worked out for the spiritual and eternal good that God has in view for them (Rom 8:28).

GOD'S CONTROL OF SATAN IS CLEARLY INVOLVED, AND IS TAUGHT.

The Lord can put a restraint upon Satan as He chooses (Job 1:12).

He gives Satan, at times, power to do his wicked worst, but God is always in control (Revelation 9:1; Revelation 20:7).