A Turn of Affairs
The Lord has a way of
fulfilling His word. Once His will has been established, He can change
situations and turn affairs in such a way so as to fulfill His word. Here, in 2
Chronicles 10:15, we read that the king’s decision not to lighten the citizens’
tax burden was “a turn of
affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word.” The underlying cause of Rehoboam’s
decision was God, Himself.
Sometimes we have a hard time understanding God’s
sovereign will. At times He causes (or fails to cause) certain events to take
place that we wonder about. We wonder why He allows situations that we deem
troublesome or adverse into our lives, our families, our communities, and our
nation. What we fail to recognize is that God is sovereign and will do as He
pleases, even when we don’t fully understand His actions. The Easton's Bible
Dictionary defines God's sovereignty as His "absolute right to do
all things according to his own good pleasure." In this case, the
division of the kingdom looked like a tragedy, but it was part of God’s plan
for His people.
Because
God is sovereign, we must learn to submit to His will. The Bible is pretty clear, teaching that God sovereignly directs
people, circumstances and events. “All the people of the earth
are nothing compared to Him. He has the power to do as He pleases among
the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop Him or
challenge Him, saying, ‘What do You mean by doing these things?’” (Daniel 4:35)
There
are times when God brings about a turn of affairs that is to our liking.
Perhaps we get that promotion we’ve been praying for. Or, found out that our “crush”
is interested in us. Or, when a neighbor we have hurt offers forgiveness and reconciliation.
We rejoice in these types of turn of events. But we must always remember that difficulties
and adversity are tools in God’s sovereign hands with which He shapes us
into the image of Jesus Christ. He can (and does) bring about a
turn of events in our lives that we dislike or don’t understand. In those
moments, we must submit to His will and trust that what seems like a tragedy to
us is just the unfolding of His plan.
Be encouraged:
Your loving God is still in control, and He is sovereignly directing your
life. And though you may not fully understand, be assured that He will
work all things together for your good. (Romans 8:28)
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