Psalm 135:5-6

5 I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. 6 The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depth.   (NIV)

     Sovereignty. This is a frightening idea, but an idea that must be considered and dealt with and meditated on. There is much peace of mind at stake regarding sovereignty. The idea of trust, with regard to God, hangs on this. The faith that connects us to saving grace is rooted in it.

     The Psalmist doesn’t use a theological word or phrase, but merely this: “The Lord does whatever pleases Him”. This means that at any given time, in any given place, for any reason, God can do WHATEVER pleases Him. He has the power to do anything that brings Him pleasure.  He”s never at a loss for energy or strength. He has the understanding to do anything that brings Him pleasure, He never finds a rpoblem or issue with this because He defines intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He has the opportunity to do anything that pleases Him, He is omnipotent and therefore wherever He finds a work of pleasure He’s already there…but He is also “above”, or outside of, time, so we find, profoundly, that its not that He is in every moment, but every moment is in Him. Anything. Anywho. Anytime. For His good pleasure.

     On a practical level this means that He can shape my life and my days in an infinite number of ways to bring Him pleasure. He is not skittish about doing things that I don’t undertand in order to satisfy Himself. At first this seens arrogant at best and manipulative or “bully-ish” at worst, but verses 3 and 14 keep us from theese problems:

          v3 “…the Lord is good…”

          v 14 “For the Lord will…have compassion on His servants.”

     When God does whatever pleases Himself, and when He uses me in some way to futher that agenda, He is still being “good” and “compassionate”. This works because my highest satisfaction and joy is found in elevating the most important thing in existence: God. This is how life works, and it was the deviation from this goal, in the Garden (Genesis 3), that brought problems, pain, and desolation.

     It is fairly evident, from the Scriptures, that the only hope we have for satisfaction and joy is found  in the sovereignty of God. It is found in an all powerful God being all powerful for the sake of His pleasure and our, His children, joy.