The persistence of memory……the sovereignty of Christ over all…..

Snippets of conversation from years past persist in memory. Though I often have difficulty remembering what I had for lunch, I can sometimes recall conversations from quarter of a century ago. For example, I remember a conversation - from a time when my hair was not gray and I was thirty pounds lighter and twenty-eight years younger - with an acquaintance with whom I was working at the time, and things turned a bit to the theological. The impression my friend was under was that a grand cosmic struggle between God and the devil was underway, and even if we could be reasonably sure of the outcome, it was to be a close-run thing. Now, I remember my friend being consistent in his church attendance, a very friendly guy. As an aside, I recall, too, that I carried a lot of erroneous theological baggage.

Needless to say, my friend entertained a theological notion that was in error. There is no such thing as almost infinite. On the other hand, while we may intellectually affirm God’s absolute sovereignty over His creation, actually affirming it in our response to our circumstances is another thing entirely.

Beyond the often heated controversy generated by the free-will/predestination debate, beyond the Arminian/Calvinism divide, what the follower of Christ must affirm is His absolute sovereignty over His creation. What has recently been reinforced within the deep parts of me, especially as I explore the heritage of the bibliocentric and Christcentic thought of the reformers of the 16^th century, is that God’s reign is absolute. I have no need to fret over the outcome of the electoral process. I have no need to fret over fluctuations in the global markets. I have no need to fret over the prime rate. I have no need to fret over the prospect of terrorism.

More difficult is this: though I may be concerned over them, I must affirm that God is in absolute control over my personal circumstances, difficult though they may often be. We who name Christ are often familiar with the verses such as Philippians 4:6, but actually apprehending them, actually grasping hold to them, is a completely different matter. Does this have anything to do with being doers of the word, not just hearers? Doing and hearing goes beyond our actions in putting our faith to practice. It, too, has to do with transforming the way we think about ourselves and our Savior. It has to do with our focus. Does our focus point always inward, or does to point outward that we may exalt Christ as our sole source of contentment rather than our changing circumstances and our often volatile emotional states?

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Romans 8:28

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 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

James 1:2-4,

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.