Starting Your Day With Godنموونە

Morning Topic: God’s Sovereignty

What does the world encourage you to tell yourself as you wake up in the morning?

“Positive morning affirmations” are popular these days. They often include phrases like “I am strong,” “I am worthy,” and “I accept myself as I am.”

These might be harmless, but I think there is something better than them for those of us trusting in God. Part of trusting is letting go of control and responsibility and taking up being controlled and being under someone else’s responsibility. In our case, we strive to give that title to God.

The truth is God always has that role. People have just been trying to take it away from Him since sin entered the world. We want to make the rules. We want to be in charge of our own lives. How beneficial is this, really? Are we better rulers of ourselves than a perfect, benevolent, just, loving Heavenly Father?

No, we are not. That’s the simple answer. Take a look at how much Israel struggled when they were ruled by rebellious kings. God had warned them about human rulers and offered to be their deity, but they didn’t want it. Does that story sound familiar to you? It hits close to home for me.

I am so glad I have no say in whether or not God rules the world. I don’t trust myself with that power. God is sovereign over the whole world all the time, no matter what. That is how it’s always been, and that’s how it always will be.

You might be asking––Why is it so important for me to know this in the morning? It reminds you nothing is beyond God’s reach, and you can put all your trust in Him.

In the passage you read before this, God calls Cyrus (a king that subdued Israel) anointed, saying He will prosper him so he will know God and for the sake of Israel. When Israel was in despair because they thought things were out of control, God was still sovereign. They could still trust Him.

Returning to the “positive morning affirmations,” where do these show you putting your trust? Notice all the “I am” statements. What if we replaced those statements with “God is––” and fill in the blank with Scripture?

Let me get you started: “God is love. God is peace. God is sovereign...”

Tomorrow, I’ll offer you another one.