What is our world coming to? How long will evil people assail Christians? When anxieties about the future plague us, we must be reminded of the fact that God is sovereign. He reigns. He is in control. Everything is going according to His plan. Isaiah 44:24-28 is an encouraging passage that shows how God’s sovereignty is revealed and how we can trust that He will work out good for His people.

God’s Sovereignty Revealed in His Creation – Isaiah 44:24 God speaks to Israel, His chosen nation in the Old Testament, saying He is their redeemer, (Ex. 6:6; 15:13), who formed them from the womb. While it is true that each individual from conception is known by God (Jer. 1:5; Psa. 139:13-16), the context of Isaiah 44 is referring to God’s formation of the nation of Israel (v. 2; cf. Gen. 12:2; Ex. 19:6). God established the nation of Israel by redeeming them from bondage. Likewise, God has established the church, His holy nation of Israel in the New Testament, in the face of all opposition of men (Mt. 16:18; Gal. 6:16; 1 Pet. 2:9). But it is no marvel that God is able to accomplish His will since He alone has created all things in heaven and earth (Isa. 44:24). Nothing would exist or subsist without the Lord (Col. 1:16-17).

God’s Sovereignty Revealed in His Providence – Isaiah 44:25 The Lord is not only able to accomplish His efforts, but also frustrates the workings of evil men. Idolaters in Isaiah’s day were habitually looking to various superstitious signs and interpreting them as messages from their gods. When they claimed to have the spirit of divination, (to receive information about the future), the Lord would make them look foolish by bringing about circumstances that they never guessed would occur. Even the wise men who seemed to have deeper insight regarding the workings of world events are left perplexed when God turns their wisdom into empty speculations. Though some may be too proud to admit it, how often are even the greatest scientific minds in our day reminded of how little they truly know. Our God is the master chess player of this universe who, while never infringing upon man’s free will, works behind the scenes to bring about His will because He knows every conceivable outcome many steps ahead of any human.

God’s Sovereignty Revealed in His Predictions – Isaiah 44:26-28 While God confuses those who serve idols, He confirms the words spoken through His servants, the prophets. Isaiah is one such messenger of God who goes on in this passage to deliver God’s message regarding the rebuilding of Jerusalem and Judah. At the juncture this message was delivered, Judah had not even been destroyed nor its people carried to Babylonian captivity. Captivity itself seemed like an impossibility to many in Judah, but the Lord reveals through Isaiah the details of their return after exile. God calls the Persian King Cyrus by name, nearly 200 years before he came to the throne, as the one whom the Lord would use to grant His people permission to come back home (Ezra 1:1). The momentous occasion of re-laying the temple’s foundation after the people of Israel had spent 70 years in Babylon is mentioned here before the temple was ever destroyed. The detailed prophecies of the Bible should make us confident that the Lord knows exactly what the future holds.

The subject that remains is whether the Lord is sovereign in your life. Will you be His servant as He created you to be or will you pursue evil and have your purposes frustrated by Him who works all things according to His own will (Eph. 1:11)? Let Him be your Lord.

-Mark Day