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Lois Flowers

When It’s Hard to Understand God’s Sovereignty

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside:  Last week, I ended my thoughts about God’s sovereignty with the truth expressed in Romans 8:28—that in “all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Let’s explore this further today. ~

If you’re anything like me, you might find the idea that God’s sovereignty encompasses “all things” a bit hard to grasp. Here’s how Chuck Swindoll describes it in his book, The Mystery of God’s Will:

“His plan includes all promotions and demotions. His plan can mean both adversity and prosperity, tragedy and calamity, ecstasy and joy. It envelopes illness as much as health, perilous times as much as comfort, safety, prosperity, and ease. His plan is at work when we cannot imagine why, because it is so unpleasant, as much as when the reason is clear and pleasant.

His sovereignty, though it is inscrutable, has dominion over all handicaps, all heartaches, all helpless moments. It is at work through all disappointments, broken dreams, and lingering difficulties. And even when we cannot fully fathom why, He knows.

Even when we cannot explain the reasons, He understands. And when we cannot see the end, He is there, nodding, “Yes, that is My plan.”

What in the World?

All the while, we’re sitting here scratching our heads, wondering what in the world is going on. Our human minds simply cannot comprehend God’s character, His behavior or His activity in our lives (or seeming lack thereof).

Try as we might, we just can’t do it.

This really shouldn’t come as a big surprise, however. The author of Ecclesiastes makes it very clear: “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things” (Ecclesiastes 11:5).

And God Himself spells it out in big block letters for us: “ ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ ” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Psalm also 115:3 puts it bluntly: “Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.”

God Answers to Nobody

Nothing takes Him by surprise or catches Him unaware. Nor is He not pacing the floor in the throne room, wracking His brain to figure out how in the world He’s going to solve our big problem.

Although He often chooses to use us to accomplish His work, He doesn’t need us for anything. He is the potter, and we are merely the clay (Isaiah 64:8). As such, He chooses the molds and uses whatever techniques He deems necessary to fashion us into the types of vessels He wants us to become.

Last week, we talked about how God gave Satan permission—up to a certain point—to wreak havoc in Job’s life. A righteous man, Job could not figure out why he was being made to suffer so greatly. For 35 chapters, he vacillates between listening to his friends offer their flawed explanations and begging God to show up and explain what’s going on.

God shows up eventually, but He offers no answers. He simply fires away a long series of questions that very effectively put Job in his place (Job 38-41).

Relaxing in God’s Sovereignty

God understands our need to know why we’re suffering—He made us, after all. He also understands our desire to know in advance how the story is going to end.

Sometimes He gives us a glimpse of the reasons and perhaps even a clue about the end result. But most of the time, He simply asks us to trust Him. He asks us to believe that He knows how the story ends—that no matter what happens, He will work it out for our ultimate good.

This is where I find myself right now; perhaps you do too.

I like to describe this process as “relaxing in God’s sovereignty.” I know those words don’t naturally go together—relaxation brings to mind peace, tranquility and solace, while sovereignty triggers thoughts of power, control, grandeur and majesty. Yet, what better place to be, than relaxing in the loving arms of the omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent Maker of the Universe.

When we’re relaxing in God’s sovereignty, we’re resting in the assurance that God knows what He’s doing.

Even when it doesn’t make one bit of sense to us.

♥ Lois

God isn't pacing the floor in the throne room, wracking His brain to figure out how in the world He’s going to solve our big problem. Share on X What better place to be than relaxing in the loving arms of the omnipotent Maker of the Universe. Share on X

Note: This post is adapted from my book Infertility: Finding God’s Peace in the Journey (Harvest House, 2003), available here.

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.n

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Our Anchor in Every Storm

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: When we’re in seasons marked by pain, struggle or unanswered questions, it’s helpful to remember foundational theological principles that have anchored us in the past. Like the truth of God’s sovereignty, which I first wrote about a few decades ago. ~

When I was in elementary school, one of my Sunday school teachers taught a lesson that made a huge impression on my young mind.

He introduced his students to some deep principles about God—namely, that He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

To this day, I remember what those words mean: that God is everywhere at once (omnipresent), all-knowing (omniscient), and all-powerful (omnipotent). Said differently, God is present everywhere, He knows everything, and He is in control of everything.

God is Sovereign

That—in a very lofty sounding nutshell—is what God’s sovereignty is all about. The fact that God is sovereign means that nothing happens to me, to you or in the world that does not pass through His hands first.

He is in charge, even when a fatal disease strikes a young mother of four, when an accident puts a vibrant teenage athlete in a wheelchair, when a loving grandma is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, when disease destroys a woman’s fertility, when an unfaithful spouse refuses to repent.

And yes, as I’ve been processing lately, when a car runs a red light and hits someone on a bike in a crosswalk.

Many of these horrible things are a direct result of the evil that pervades our fallen world. But somehow—and I make no claim to understanding how or why—not one of them occurs without His permission.

Consider Job

Remember Job, the Old Testament hero who suffered such great loss and yet refused to forsake his faith? Before Satan took away Job’s business, his family and his health, he had to ask God for permission. God gave it, but He also set certain boundaries that Satan was forbidden to cross (Job 1:12; 2:6).

Satan was allowed to wreak havoc on Job’s life for a time, but God was in complete control throughout the process. Job himself acknowledged this near the end of his book. “I know that you can do all things,” he told God, “no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

God sees what we can’t see. He knows what we don’t know. He sees the big picture, while we only know what’s going on in our little world.

While we’re dealing with our day-to-day and possibly life-altering struggles (whatever they might be), He already knows the outcome. He knows when they will end, how they will end, and what will happen next.

And, in some inexplicable way, He’s in charge of the whole process—from start to finish.

Joseph’s Story

This brings to mind Joseph, another Old Testament hero who was able to recognize that God’s purposes had been fulfilled through his suffering. Joseph’s brothers, you may recall, sold him into slavery when he was a teenager.

Years later, Joseph became the second most powerful man in Egypt. As such, he was responsible for preparing the country for an upcoming famine and for managing the distribution of the stored food during the famine.

He was reunited with his brothers when they came to Egypt in search of grain. Naturally, they were afraid he would seek revenge on them for what they had done to him so long ago. But their fears were unfounded.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives,” Joseph told them (Genesis 50:20).

All Things

This story is a great example of God’s amazing ability to “make silk purses out of sows’ ears,” as the saying goes. The Apostle Paul restates this thought in the form of a promise: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

All things means just that. Everything. No exceptions. No exclusions.

But what exactly does that look like in real life? Please join me again next week as we dig into this topic a little bit more.

♥ Lois

God already knows when our trials will end, how they will end, and what will happen next. Share on X

Note: This post is adapted from my book Infertility: Finding God’s Peace in the Journey (Harvest House, 2003), available here.

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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How to Trust in God, not in the Outcome

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: Do you sometimes find yourself hoping for a particular ending more than you trust the Author of the ending? Here’s one way to change your perspective. ~

Do you trust in something more than you trust in God?

Most of us would probably like to say no, and the desire of our hearts may be exactly that. But our thoughts and actions may suggest a different answer.

Perhaps we trust in acceptance, affirmation or alternative medicine. Maybe it’s Google, our favorite news channel or our ability to control our circumstances.

Happy Endings

If I’m completely honest, I’d have to say that my response has to do with happy endings and closure and desperately wanting to know how things are going to turn out.

This is OK when it comes to reading the ends of books first (which I do, all the time) or checking the internet for spoilers when I’m taking a bathroom break during a movie (which I also do, sometimes).

In real life, though, it can be a serious problem.

There’s a certain way I often feel—physically and emotionally—when I am waiting, in limbo or uncertain of an outcome. I’m more prone to irritability during those times. I’m readily anxious. My stomach sours and my sleep grows even more fitful than it normally is.

Then, when the question is answered, the wait ends or the outcome becomes evident—good or bad—calming waves of peace sweep over me. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. I just feel better.

Trusting in the Outcome

Some of this is part of being human, and some might be due to my personality. But I think the lion’s share of this progression of feelings has to do with trusting in the outcome instead of the God of the outcome.

Thankfully, I’m not powerless to stop it, and neither are you if you recognize this tendency in yourself. There is a divine antidote that can alter our perspective and calm our anxious hearts when we’re waiting for closure, and it is as familiar as it is life-changing.

Simply put, it involves praying the way Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was crucified. As you may recall, He asked God three times for another way, but He followed each request with that amazing statement of submission, “Not my will, but yours be done.” (See Matthew 26:36-44.)

How We Learned

As I describe here, Randy and I learned the power of this prayer a couple of decades ago when we were struggling with infertility. We regularly told God of our desire for a child, but we always followed it with Jesus’ words, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

This is a difficult way to pray. Back then, though, it was the only concrete way I found to relinquish my dreams and desires to God. It helped me loosen my grip on my desires and vocalize my trust that my sovereign heavenly Father truly did know what was best for our family.

We eventually adopted our two daughters from China. And the entire experience—including the wonderful outcome—paved the way for an increasing reliance on this prayer in many other areas of my life.

From unexpected job losses and homes that took way too long to sell to concerns about aging parents and difficult medical issues, it’s been the only sure way I know to replace my anxiety about an uncertain outcome with quiet trust in God.

Not my will, but yours be done.

What Happens

I don’t always think to do this right off the bat. Sometimes it takes me days—even weeks—to get there. But when I finally remember and start meditating on this prayer, something amazing happens.

My heart relaxes. The sourness leaves my stomach. Honestly, I’m just nicer to be around.

I’m still not fond of waiting. I still read the ends of books first. And all these years later, I’m still learning to place my hope and trust in the Author of the ending instead of the ending itself.

God is sovereign. He is good. He loves us and knows what we need. Praying this prayer helps us remember that.

Not my will, but yours be done.

• • •

If you also tend to trust more in the outcome than you should, I highly recommend a new book by my friend Abby McDonald: Surrendering Certainty: Hearing God Today by Letting Go of Tomorrow.

Abby was a member of my online writing critique group this past year. Not only is she an excellent editor and writer, she also has a wonderful heart. I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of her book last fall and sharing an endorsement for it. Here’s what I said:

When it comes to following God’s plan for our lives, we often want to know exactly what the future holds, along with step-by-step instructions for how to make it happen. However, as Abby points out in Surrendering Certainty, hearing from God is less about future outcomes and more about present peace and obedience.

If you’re stuck—craving security, paralyzed with fear, worried about making the wrong choice, doubting your ability to fulfill God’s call—this book provides a wise and thoughtful way forward. By asking probing questions, sharing personal struggles, and drawing truth from scripture, Abby helps us see that trusting God for the next step is what brings true freedom.

You can learn more about Surrendering Certainty at Abby’s website, abbymcdonald.org.

♥ Lois

There is a divine antidote that can alter our perspective and calm our anxious hearts when we’re waiting for closure, and it is as familiar as it is life-changing. Share on X I’m still not fond of waiting. I still read the ends of books first. And all these years later, I’m still learning to place my hope and trust in the Author of the ending instead of the ending itself. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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What Happened

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: I’ve been away from this space for a few weeks, and this is why. ~

I had big plans for April.

Projects to do. Words to write. Weeds to pull. People to see.

You know how it goes.

Then on March 25, I ate breakfast and hopped on my bike for my morning ride. The next thing I remember is being in a hospital room a few days later.

According to eye witnesses that Tuesday morning, I stopped at an intersection, pushed the walk button, waited for the signal to turn green, checked to make sure no cars were coming and started across the road on my bike.

I never saw the Subaru that ran the red light and hit me in the crosswalk.

No, my plans for this spring did not include spending 19 days in various hospitals with brain trauma, skull and neck fractures and a broken leg that required emergency surgery.

That statement seems so blunt and dramatic. But sometimes, I’m learning, you have to say what happened before you can say anything else.

I’ve missed being here every week. At the same time, the healing process has been far more taxing than I ever imagined it could be.

The good news is that I am improving. I don’t always think so, but the friends and family members who see me regularly assure me that I am.

I haven’t done much of anything these last few weeks at home except read books on the couch, receive loving care from Randy, eat meals provided by neighbors and struggle to accomplish tasks that seemed second nature before.

I don’t know how all this is going to turn out or how long it will take.

I do have peace, though. I do believe God is with me and has gone before me every step of the way.

Perhaps more than anything else, I’m incredibly thankful.

I’m guessing each one of those sentences will become its own blog post at some point. Until then, I’m resting in the words of the old hymn I heard over Easter weekend, and I invite you to join me too.

“I hear the Savior say, thy strength indeed is small, child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all.”

♥ Lois

I don’t know how all this is going to turn out or how long it will take. I do have peace, though. I do believe God is with me and has gone before me every step of the way. Share on X

Note: The beautiful yellow flowers in the photo above arrived at my home on April 25, one month after the accident. As my mother-in-law said in the accompanying card, “It could have been so bad, but God is so good.” Amen to that!

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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When Trouble Brings Growth (for Our Children and for Us)

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: We don’t like to see our kids struggle. But God often uses the hard and hurtful stuff to direct their steps and build their character, no matter how old they are. ~

When children are little, it’s fairly easy to manage much of what they do, see and hear. As parents, we are the primary gatekeepers for what reaches them. And though bad influences can and sometimes do creep in, it’s not so hard to quash them.

The older they get, however, the more they start to think for themselves. This is as it should be, but the thoughts they start thinking don’t always line up with the thoughts we may want them to think.

They also start to experience more struggles—issues with friends, unmet expectations, problems in school, emotional swings, physical pain, and so on.

I didn’t worry about all these scenarios when my girls were younger, but a few of them had the potential to send me into orbit.

Worrisome What-ifs

Once when I was particularly spun up—to the point of extrapolating my fears into ridiculous future outcomes—I heard a sermon that transformed my thinking about the matter. One of the elders at my church was preaching about God’s sovereignty and used an experience from his daughter’s childhood to illustrate how God brings good from bad.

His daughter suffered an injury when she was younger that led to years of pain and difficult rehabilitation. As he talked about how her interactions with caring medical professionals later led her to become a nurse, I had an a-ha moment.

Would God have put our family together the way He did—by allowing us to bring home two very specific babies from China at two different times—just to disappear from our lives when the going got a bit rough? I asked myself.

And are any struggles they may have—in any area—enough to negate the plans He has for their lives, whatever they may entail?

God’s Tools

The answer to both, of course, is absolutely not. In fact, those struggles might be the very tools He uses to form my daughters into what He designed them to be before they were ever born.

Struggles build character. They force perseverance. They foster patience. They develop compassion.

All I have to do is look at my own life for proof.

I was a good kid. I followed all the “rules.” But back then, my faith walk was more of a “works walk.” My being a Christian was more about what I did or didn’t do than a personal relationship with Jesus.

I’m not necessarily complaining about this. I’m grateful for the pain I may have been spared because I was so strictly adhering to my do-not-do list.

Impetus for Spiritual Growth

But it wasn’t until I was an adult that I experienced anything close to what you might call spiritual growth. And you know what brought on those growth spurts?

It was trouble. It took on various forms, but no matter the trial, it was during those times when I started learning what it means to walk by faith and not by sight, what it means to die to myself so that others may experience life, what it means to live like Jesus is enough.

(Notice I said “started learning.” This is an ongoing process, sometimes marked by progress, sometimes by the exact opposite.)

Even So …

As a mom, I still wish there was some way for my children to avoid all that trouble and struggle. I’d prefer to shield them from pain and loss and challenging math problems. Not just because I don’t want them to hurt, but because—many times—it is also easier for me.

Avoiding trouble isn’t necessarily best for my girls, however—or for your kids, if you have them.

This might make us moms cringe a bit, because we don’t know what kinds of trouble may be in store for our sons and daughters, especially after they leave home.

God is Still Working

We will always be our children’s parents and will never stop loving and praying for them. But there is a Power much greater than us at work in them. And that should bring us comfort and hope—no matter how old they are.

If they are believers, God—their heavenly Father—is with them. He is for them. He loves them unconditionally.

None of that changes when they become teenagers, go off to college, get married or turn 21 (or 35 or 50). Nor will it ever change, for them, for me or for you.

♥ Lois

Some of our kids’ struggles may be very the tools God uses to form them into what He designed them to be before they were ever born. Share on X If our children are believers, God—their heavenly Father—is with them. He is for them. He loves them unconditionally. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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The Best Source of Stability on an Emotional Roller Coaster

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: What we think and believe influences how we feel. And when we find ourselves veering off into the whys or the what-ifs, God’s character is a faithful anchor.~

When you are faced with a difficult situation that isn’t going the way you hoped—perhaps due to circumstances out of your control—what’s your go-to emotion?

Anger or discouragement? Maybe something closer to anxiety or worry?

Whether our response is one of these or something else entirely, one thing is sure. What we think and believe influences how we feel. And when we find ourselves veering off into the emotional morass of the whys or the what-ifs, God’s character is a faithful anchor.

Always the Same

What is true about God doesn’t change according to our circumstances. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As believers, our names are engraved on the palm of His hand. He loves us with an everlasting love. He goes before us and is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

These are truths, not clichés. They are not metaphorically hidden in the pages of scripture. They are spelled out clearly and plainly.

Even though we may sometimes think otherwise, God’s love does not cease to apply to us when something in our lives goes wrong. We are not the exception to His promises, His truth or His sovereignty. When trials come, as He explicitly promised they would, His character does not bypass us or our loved ones.

The Essence of Faith

The heart of the matter is this. God is entirely who He says He is all the time, or He isn’t who He says He is at all. It’s that simple, and also that mind-blowing.

This is the essence of faith, I think. Fiercely clinging to the truth about God—to what the Bible says about His character and His ways—no matter what.

No matter how we feel. No matter what someone else does or says. No matter what is happening to people we love. No matter how long it takes God to act on their behalf, or ours, if He chooses to act at all.

I’ve got my own ugly batch of shortcomings and weaknesses, and there are plenty of times when I feel like I’m one step away from complete disaster.

But God—now He is infinitely faithful and trustworthy. He cannot lie, He cannot fail, He cannot cease to be who He is. When we hold fast to that, it informs how we feel about what is happening around us.

Our Natural Response

When people hurt us or bad things happen and our human minds struggle to reconcile what we’re experiencing or witnessing with what we believe, it’s natural to respond with doubt, fear, anger or disappointment. After a time, though, these attitudes can take up so much room in our minds or appear so insurmountable that we start to imagine even God’s grace can’t overcome them.

Maybe we don’t even want it to, if we get right down to it.  Maybe sticking with our doubt, our anger or our fear feels safer and more comfortable than throwing our lot wholeheartedly with the God who has somehow not lived up to our expectations.

But our feelings—about God or our circumstances—don’t change who He is. They don’t negate the work His Son did on the cross for us. They don’t remove us from His family.

God our Protector

As I read through the Bible, I notice how often He is referred to in terms of His protection for us. He’s our rock, the stronghold of our life, our strength, our shield, the mountain where we seek refuge and so on.

It occurs to me that, in addition to all the external enemies God protects us from, He also stands ready to save us from our natural-but-sometimes-not-helpful feelings.

The deeply entrenched disillusionment caused by the bad choices of other people. The periods of anger that stem from circumstances we don’t understand. The forehead-pinching worry about how that next procedure is going to turn out. The fear of what lies ahead that keeps us awake all hours of the night.

All That and More

Those feelings are real and often valid. But they don’t have to control our mind and heart.

One by one, day by day, we can cast our cares and our feelings at the feet of Jesus. None of it will surprise Him, of course. Our Creator knows our words before we speak them, and our feelings before we feel them. He sympathizes with us in our weakness, not because He sinned, but because He was tempted in the same ways we are.

“Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grade to help us in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

♥ Lois

God is infinitely faithful and trustworthy. He cannot lie, He cannot fail, He cannot cease to be who He is. When we hold fast to that, it informs how we feel about what is happening around us. Share on X One by one, day by day, we can cast our cares and our feelings at the feet of Jesus. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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