Resting in God's Sovereignty

II Samuel 17.14

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

God is in control. There are times when it seems like that is not so but He is.
It is never safe to judge things from a human standpoint. So often we reach incorrect conclusions. Add to that the negativity and skepticism many struggle with and we have the recipe for disaster in our minds. We must learn to rest in God's Sovereignty. It is a process as we mature in our walk with the LORD.

For all David knew this was the end for him reigning in Jerusalem and possibly the end of his life. We have all had those moments when we felt it was all over, this is it. Perhaps we have even said like Esther, "If I perish I perish."

Most of the time we cannot see the Sovereign Hand of God. We see our circumstances. We see the next step but cannot get a handle on the big picture. If we jump to conclusions they are usually incorrect, way off. In fact if you jump to a conclusion you will almost certainly jump to the wrong one.

Absolam was seeking to take the throne by rebellion. God never blesses rebellion. David could have when Saul was pursuing him but he did not. In that decade of hell David learned some invaluable lessons about the ways of God. By doing what was right he experienced the Sovereign Hand of God. It is always best to experience it that way! Now that Absolam is rebelling against him he is reacting the same way when Saul threw spears at him and hunted him down. He is submitted to whatever God's will is. He knows deep in his heart that God is in control.

So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.

This was the first time anyone said this - people always favored the advice of Ahithophel. One reason Absalom liked Hushai's advice was because it appealed to his pride.

Yet God was in control. The throne of Israel belonged to Him, and He alone decided who would sit on it.

Absalom had the smartest man in Israel on his side, but David's prayer was mightier than Ahithophel's smarts. God could lead Ahithophel to give foolish counsel that was listened to (as in 2 Samuel 16:20-23). Or, God could allow Ahithophel to give great advice and yet have it be rejected. God was in control; the LORD had purposed.

"This is one of the great principles of life which every page of the Bible emphasizes and illustrates. Men cannot escape God. They go their own way, but that way never sets them free from the authority and the invincible power of God." (G. Campbell Morgan)

Why had the LORD purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel? Because David prayed. Prayer moves the hand of God, and David prayed: O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness! (2 Samuel 15:31).
That the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom: In all of this there was a severe chastening for David, and he knew it well. Yet God did not forsake David during this time of chastening. He was there for David at this time also. He was not out to destroy David, but to correct him.

We should always be aware and trust God's Sovereignty, seeking to line up our prayers to His Will. Get to know, seek to know the will of God on the subject, then throw your cares on Him.

1. When Things Seem To Be Going One Way That Could Be Just a Feeling.
Jacob during the famine.
Genesis 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
It was actually opposite! The same could be true of your situation today. Everything was about to come Jacob's way.

We do not always read situations right.
Sometimes we can see things very negatively and we feel down.

Sometimes we have to ignore our feelings! Far too often we entertain them to the point they occupy our minds continually. God is in control.

Many times we have to pray ourselves out of the pit of despair. David did this over and over again in the Psalms. He is our example here. Jesus is our example in prayer always!


2. When All Seems Dark, It Is Not!

Depression due to the weather
SAD= Seasonal Affective Disorder

Negative outlook

Exhaustion Elijah

Overwhelmed

If you have negative tendencies you will have to purposely get yourself in the sunshine. You get Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is not only good for bone health but the sunshine lifts your spirit.
I pastored for 5 years in what was called "Dismal Valley" by the locals. I remember seeing the sun come through the windows of the parsonage when I moved back to Long Island and feeling warmth inside and out.

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark you don't throw away your ticket and jump off you sit still and trust the train engineer "- Corrie Ten Boom

Albert Eldersheim believes December 25th is close to the time of Jesus' actual birth.God sent the Light into the darkest time in the northern hemisphere.

In the beginning darkness was upon the face of the earth.

God helps us see past the darkness to show us He is in control.

What do we do in the darkness? We wait for the dawn!!!
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heartand wait for the LORD.
Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.


3. When The Book Seems To Be Ending Remember God Loves To Write Last Chapters!!!
Joseph, a string of these!
Daniel in Lion's Den
Peter in Prison
Jesus in the Grave
Us!
You may have had family turn against you like Joseph, been thrown to the lions like Daniel, feel like you are in a prison like Peter was but remember Jesus is victorious! God loves to bring His people through things. He delivers us!

If you are feeling like the end is near remember God is in control.

You can count on it.

You can rest in it.
There comes a point when we need to stop and rest in the work that God has done through us. We often are faced with the question or you going to rest or be restless?

Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?- Oswald Chambers

From Genesis to Revelation we see that God is in control. It is the theme of the Bible. It is a truth, mark this down... God is in control.

Now I know that the Lord rescues His anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power. Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm (Psalm 20:6-8 NLT).