Mom Set FreeSample

God Is Sovereign

When praying for my kids, I have always used the words, “my boys” or “my sons.” There is, of course, nothing wrong with praying this way. God entrusted these boys to my husband and me to raise to His glory. But on one particular and unforgettable night, while crying out to God about a painful hardship one of my boys was facing and feeling completely incompetent to help him navigate it, I felt the Holy Spirit remind me that these boys are first and foremost sons of God. That as much as I love them and long for them, they were created by Him, they belong to Him, and His love and desire for them is infinitely more profound and pure than even mine. In light of this truth, I began to pray “Your sons,” rather than “my sons” to be reminded that He is their all-knowing, all-powerful Father. And because God is sovereign and full of grace, He can be trusted with the children He has entrusted to me.

I truly believe that it is only when we surrender to this truth that we will finally be free and empowered to thrive in our mothering. We have to know what Scripture says and trust the power it holds to free us (Matt. 22:29). So I want us to look at a passage that speaks to the sovereignty and goodness of God. 

Read Romans 8:32.

This is the truth we have to remember when our children are bullied or rejected by their peers, when they are battling sin and temptation, when their feelings get hurt or their hearts get broken, when they struggle with substance abuse or eating disorders, when they make wrong choices, or when they simply don’t feel lovable or valuable. When our hearts break for our kids and we long to right every wrong in their lives, we have to remember they have a sovereign and good heavenly Father.

To say that God is sovereign is not to say that our children don’t have free will. Indeed, God has given all of us free will. We are all responsible for the choices we make, and our choices matter. However, God is not limited by our choices. He is continually working everything together “for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Rom. 8:28, NLT). 

Remembering our good Father’s sovereignty relieves so much of the pressure we experience in motherhood. It’s not all up to you, and it’s not all up to me—and praise Him for that!