God's Sovereignty

 We have to be very careful that we believe the whole truth. Yes, I do believe we can know the whole truth. That is why God gave us His Word. It is everything we need to know, so that we can know Him, and we can live the Christian life well. Therefore, we need to know the Bible and live by all that it teaches. I am afraid that there are some people who pick parts of the Bible to believe, and they leave out the other parts. That is not what God desires for us to do. 

Isaiah gave us a quote from God that we need to examine. (Isaiah 45:5) God said, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me." This was God's declaration to Cyrus, king of Persia. It might seem odd to us, but we have to remember that God is sovereign, and He can do whatever He wants to do. He alone is Lord of all.

Cyrus was a pagan king who never came to "know God." He never became a believer. Still God used him in a great way to help rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Yes, I know that the Jews who returned did the work, but Cyrus gave them permission to return. He encouraged the people to return and rebuild Jerusalem, and he provided the materials. Isn't that amazing? An unbeliever was "girded" by God to do His will.

God has always done this throughout history. A person doesn't have to be a believer to be guided by God and used by God to accomplish His will. God is the Sovereign King of the universe, and He can and does use earthly kings, other rulers, and common people to complete His plan for this earth and for all humanity. This should an encouragement to all of us. God is at work around us, and He can and does use whomever He chooses to work out His will for us. Praise our Sovereign Lord!

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 47-51.