Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way?
–Proverbs 20:24
The sovereignty of God means He has a plan for our lives. Should it surprise us that the architect of the universe has a precise plan for everything that happens in His world? The apostle Paul said it this way in Ephesians 1:11: “We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” God has a plan, and He works all things together to accomplish that plan.
That means the selection of rulers is under God’s control. Daniel 2:21 says, “He removes kings and establishes kings.” The change of seasons is under His control. Jeremiah 5:24 says God is the one “who gives rain in its season, both the autumn rain and the spring rain, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” Even the roll of the dice is under His control. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”
God also has a detailed plan for your life. Psalm 139:13 says, “You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” God planned everything about your physical and emotional makeup. Now, we can accept that God is in control over the things we can’t control, such as our genes. But we assume that we control other areas of our lives, such as how we spend our time. We think it’s solely our decision whether to watch television, take a nap, or mow the lawn. But look at Proverbs 20:24: “Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way?” Every step we take has been ordained by God. I don’t know about you, but I’m comforted by the fact that someone wiser and more powerful than me controls my steps.
Jeremiah was a prophet in the waning days of the kingdom of Judah. He was imprisoned, beaten, and threatened with death, yet he never wavered in his prophetic calling. What gave Jeremiah such confidence in his assignment? The fact that God had chosen him and predestined his life. Look at Jeremiah 1:5: God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Eugene Peterson wrote, “Before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah. . . . Jeremiah’s life didn’t start with Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s salvation didn’t start with Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s truth didn’t start with Jeremiah. He entered the world in which the essential parts of his existence were already ancient history. So do we.” God’s sovereignty means God has a plan.
