| Author | Message | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 1866 Registered: 12-2003  |
I'm starting this thread as an outgrowth of my thinking about Romans 9, the chapter we're currently studying in our Friday night FAF group. This is one of the most powerful chapters in the Bible declaring and illustrating God's sovereignty. I'm wondering how you have experienced God's sovereignty in your life. I find I can actually think of quite a lot of events/situations, but at the time many of them happened initially, I didn't really understand God's sovereignty at all. In retrospect His dirction is amazing. One of the things I think is a most astonishing (to me) examples of God's sovereign action is my relationship with my two sons. I firmly believed I never wanted to have children (call me a child of the 60'sñearly 70'sówhatever!). I've often joked that God said in response, "OK, you don't have to be a mother. You get to be a STEP-MOTHER instead!!" I had no idea when I "took on" those two little tow-heads (aged 2 and 6) that they would need me--and I needed them. God has redeemed so much pain and hurt in our individual lives, and they are the children of my heart. They claim me as well! People often gasp in disbelief when they learn we're not actually "related" because we look alike! I always tell people that phenomenon is God's gift to us. So, that's one example of God's sovereign action that has been of inestimable value in my life. He is completely faithful to us. I'm going to ask this question about God's sovereignty in our group tonight--I thought I'd ask it here as well. What an awesome God we serve! Colleen | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 429 Registered: 7-2004 |
Thanks for the awesome thread, Colleen. I am looking forward to hearing many different thoughts and personal experiences of God's sovereignty. When I stop and think about God's sovereignty in my life, I find a peace that passes understanding. I believe it is only in looking back in hindsight that I can fully appreciate the promise of Romans 8:28 - "all things work together for the good of those who love God"! I think the most astonshing of all the "happenings" in my life is how the puzzle pieces all fit neatly together. Despite the painful choices I have made and inspite of all the tough consequences that have followed, it is evident that God's presence was with me throughout it all. Paul Harvey is famous for "The Rest of the Story". I feel my life is a series of these famous snipets. Twenty years ago I became acquainted with a young lady who was a friend of my future sister-in-law. During that chapter of my life she gave me support during a difficult struggle. I lost track of her but the few words that she had shared with me during my hardship stuck with me all these years. Fast forward to spring of '03 when I have moved to this little SDA-mecca and the realization that my study of God's Word did not match with my religion. It was a dark period. With my parent's and friend's acceptance at stake and my whole belief structure about to tumble down, God, in His sovereignty, brought this young lady back into my life. Not only was she knowledgeable about Adventism and God's Word but she had been given the gift of minstry through FAF and as the editor of Proclamation! AND NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY!!! God knew 20 years ago where I would be and who I would need to feel His love, acceptance and guidance. He knew who would best fit into my life to best use in lifting the veil completely from my eyes! Praise God for Colleen, for her husband Richard who has supported, encouraged, and grown spiritually along with her, for Dale Ratzlaff who convicted her, for all the people He used in Colleen's life to bring her to this place to bless me in my life...God's sovereignty worked it all out FOR ME!!! INCREDIBLE!!! | ||
| Lindylou Registered user Username: Lindylou Post Number: 43 Registered: 1-2005 |
Hi Colleen and Dd! The two ladies who have given me a glimpse of how God moves to bring unexpected people into our lives to encourage us.  I agree that it is in retrospect that we most see God's sovereignty. It is a bit like the experience of "Much-Afraid" in the story: "Hinds Feet on High Places." In one chapter of the book, titled "In the Mist" - Much-Afraid is climbing a mountain - there is a dark mist all around and she has no clue where she is going. She begins to get fearful that she is not following the right path and she feels all alone. But just at her lowest point, the Shepherd makes Himself known to her and lets her know that He has been with her in the dark mist. And further more - He will never let her journey alone. I have not had glaring sunbeams of God's sovereigny in my life - rather I have been tantalized with little slivers of it that have flashed fleetingly before my eyes while I walk through the mist of life. It is like little wisps of fog that part now and then and I see clearly for a brief second that God is All Mighty and Powerful and in control of my life. The glimpses have come just often enough to give me hope and faith. More recently, God has torn away an especially thick veil from my eyes - my SDA heritage. This is one parting of the mist that I know will be permanent. It is like finding a glorious diamond - and a brand new awakening! Reading the Bible now is exciting and I can even say FUN. It is like discovering that you were living on top of an oil well for the last 40 years and just now have discovered that by tapping into the previously unseen treasure -that you now have untold riches and security for all eternity! Thank goodness for the sovereignty of God! He is King and I am His princess! | ||
| Lydell Registered user Username: Lydell Post Number: 678 Registered: 7-2000 |
I think mine came through the stillbirth of our only daughter. Our plan had been to have only two children. So had Marilee lived, we might never have cooperated with God in having our younger son, Dan. He has been a tremendous blessing in our lives. He was a bit challenging as a child...not a bad kid by any means...just 100% boy with all the interesting ideas for activity that come with it. He is a creative person, easy going, loved and respected by everyone who mets him. Shortly after we first began attending our church, a couple of little girls, sisters ages 7 and 8, decided to adopt Dan as their big brother. Dan was 16 at the time. Their own father was largely absent from their lives, the parents newly divorced. Today they still introduce Dan to people as "my big brother", with no further explanation. And their mom sees him as her brother as well. Dan has enjoyed playing the part. On each birthday since they turned 12 he has written "the sisters" a special letter. The two he has shared with us point out to them their good qualities, and the areas of their personalities where they are in danger of temptation. He has encouraged them to live their lives as daughters of the king. When one was seriously talking about dropping out of school, he stepped in and talked her back into reality that she needed education. I've seen them go to him when they needed comfort and encouragement. The mom has occassionally asked him to speak to the girls when she has been having problems. Last week at a women's meeting our group was sharing happy memories of our lives. The sisters mom said that actually the happiest part of her life has been since the Lord put Dan in the lives of her girls. She had prayed for some male to step in to be a positive influence on their lives. It has worked two ways. When he was getting very interested in a non-Christian girl a couple of years ago, the thing that made him step back and take a hard look was the thought that the girls were watching him. "Mom", he told me, "I just realized that I can't afford to screw up with my life because they see me as their example." You know, it was only a handful of years ago I was able to admit to God that I could see that His sovereignty in this matter of our children was so good. | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 228 Registered: 3-2005 |
It is so exciting to read the stories of God's Sovereignty expressed by everyone who posted above! I continually rejoice what God has done in my family. My wife, Marti, at the age of 50, had a very serious stroke last Oct.'04, and we were told that she might need a 24 hour caregiver, but God has restored her back to nearly complete independence, and she now completely manages our household finances, and she continues to improve, and most importantly, she has a renewed interest in the things of the Lord! I have previously shared the way God has worked with my parents on the "What If" thread. To borrow a phrase, "God, you are so awesome"!! Stan | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 373 Registered: 7-2004 |
I have seen God's providence in my life over and over, so many different stories I could tell. I have a friend from academy days that I kept encountering as my life unfolded. She had a rather messed up life, parental abuse and such, and she fell away from Adventism, but then so did I, for a while, but I still tried to find Jesus in some fashion or another. She fell in with New Agers, and would tell me all about what she was into, I kept trying to tell her the best road was Jesus. We would lose track of each other, then come together again, almost by accident. She had a baby and gave him up for adoption, and I got to help her deprogram from all of that, while I was listening to her go on and on about Silva Mind Control. There was a period of about 20 years, though, when I lost track of her. Then, thanks to the internet, I joined an an alumni website for one of the schools in my conference, and the first question I asked was whether or not someone had heard of this friend. She, too, was a member of the website and saw my post. That was five years ago. The joy of all this is that she has found Jesus, sweet and pure. And her son did a search for his birth mother and so they have reconnected. What I'm saying is that I would never have been able to envision the way things turned out as being the way they actually have turned out. There is the promise that God can take the events of your life, and mine, both the good and the bad, and work the events into a tapestry that shows his power and glory. The wrenching experience of giving birth and losing that child right then and there has to be one of the worst possible things except having the child die. But God gave my friend back her boy, and in the process has made her a part of another family. All my prayers of concern for S when I saw her getting deeply involved in some New Age creepiness have been more than answered by having found her once again and finding she is now someone who celebrates Jesus with power and wonder. She knows what it is like to be snatched back from the dark side, and is so grateful for the Savior in her life. All I'm saying is that we are all chosen by him, called by him, and he patiently leads in our lives until all we can do is fall in wonder at his feet. What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord. Belva | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1432 Registered: 3-2004  |
I have shared tidbits through out this forum, so I will try to pull them all together here. God's sovereignty was expressed in my life, as I look back and when I was still SDA, in the birth of my son. I was not big enough to give birth and he started going into fetal distress. I had an emergency C section. Many years later I found out he had a learning disability, due to the oxygen loss during child birth, I am sure. Agter doing exercises with him for 2 years and straigthening him out, my son told me, "Mom, God made sure you had that training because He knew you would have a son like me". In the meantime God had made sure I had specialized training to help him through this. Then there was the SDA school teacher who precipitated my taking him out of the SDA schools. God also made sure I did not raise him knowing all about EGW. In 1990 I found I had Chronic fatigue syndrome and I kept working for 7 years before I let God show me how to get rid of it. God let me to a nutritionist who was a personal trainer as well. He had his own gym and after talking to me about food, he told me that weight lifting would get rid of the CFS. I started the weight lifting and with in a month the fatigue was gone. I still goy tired easily, but I did not have fatigue 24/7 any more. I have since done more weight lifting and am much better. God led me to the right person. Now I can do aerobic exercise without getting tired and it energizes me like it used to do. Then there was the not rejoining the SDA church, my job and so many others. God has been so good and has shown me how awesome He is. I cannot help but praise Him and tell Him, God you are awesome. Diana | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 1869 Registered: 12-2003 |
Sometimes it overwhelms me that the Creator and Lord of not just our universe but of all creation personally calls us and works out the details of our lives in ways that accomplish exactly what we need. And Dd, I also marvel at the way God had our paths cross 20 years ago and now has brought us into each other's lives in a new and more meaningful way. Thank you, Jesus! Colleen |
