Pondering God's Sovereignty

I've pondered something lately. Why do we only talk about God's sovereignty when things aren't well?

The loss of a job. "God is sovereign, He has something better planned." The loss of a child. "Rest in God's sovereignty, He knows your pain. He knows what He's doing." Struggling with life, finances, relationships, etc. "God is in control. He knows all, rules all..."

I'm starting to believe that part of my struggle with God's sovereignty isn't necessarily with His sovereignty at all. I'm starting to see that a significant issue is with my interpretation of His sovereignty.

Webster defines sovereignty as "supreme power especially over a body politic; freedom from external control; controlling influence; one that exercises supreme authority". Supreme is defined as "highest in rank or authority...degree or quality...ultimate, final".

Applying these definitions, God is the highest in rank and authority, in degree and quality. He is free from external control and is the ultimate controlling influence in the universe. He does not report to anyone, nor does He ask for permission to do anything. He sustains all. He is.

Paul states it this way, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.'For in him we live and move and have our being.'" (Acts 17:24-28)

Seems to me that is nothing to fear, nothing to fight. Yet, I do. I fear His control because it means that I am not. But honestly, I'm double-minded. I have no problem when the "living and moving" works in my favor. When He didn't heal my mother and she died, I spent years in "masked" anger. Yes, that was His Sovereignty. When He allowed me to meet my husband, graciously under some of the circumstances that I prayerfully requested years prior, that too was His Sovereignty. 

I'm slowly beginning to realize that resting in God's Sovereignty is going to require a paradigm shift. God is Sovereign. Period. When I get the new job. God is Sovereign. When I lose one. He's Sovereign. When it's sunny. He's Sovereign. When I'm caught in a storm. He's Sovereign.  When life goes how I want. God's Sovereign. When life sucks. The God who made the world and everything in it is Sovereign. Period. And I'll strive to remember that "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us..." 

Still learning to rest,

Kim