Who's in Control?

A song that has been popular in Christian music in recent years says "there is strength in the name of the Lord, there is power in the name of the Lord, there is hope in the name of the Lord."  We are going to see that, and so much more, as we continue our study on the names of God.  I'm so glad you've decided to join me on this journey, and would love to hear from you as our study progresses about what you are learning and how it is impacting your life.

Last week we began our journey in the beginning, in Genesis 1:1 with the name Elohim.  This is the most frequently used name for God in the Old Testament.  It is the name that designates God as God.    We also learned that this is the name given to our Creator God.  Seeing God as our Creator is a foundational truth in our faith and our Christian worldview.  This truth is woven throughout the pages of Scripture, not just into the first chapters of Genesis, as we saw from the Scriptures we researched last week.

Today we begin examining another foundational truth, the sovereignty of God.  We see this in the name we will be studying this week, El Elyon, God Most High.  Last week we looked into Psalm 20, "May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, may the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high."  If the "name of the God of Jacob" would "set you securely on high", if you you would trust Him to "send you help from the sanctuary and support you from Zion", then you must know him as El Elyon, the Most High.  Kay Arthur writes in her book Lord, I Want to Know You, "for if God is not sovereign, if He is not in control, if all things are not under His dominion, then He is not the Most High, and you and I are either in the hands of fate (whatever that is), or in the hands of the devil."  The Scriptures we are going to look at this week will show us our El Elyon, God Most High.  Let's begin with the following passages.  Look up each one, read it carefully, and the note what you learn about God's sovereignty.

• Daniel 4:34-35
• Isaiah 14:24, 27
• Isaiah 46:9-11
• Daniel 2:20-23

Once you have completed this assignment, take a moment to consider what difference this makes in your life.

As we take this journey together, you might want to be keeping a notebook or journal to record your findings.  And if you're particularly creative, you might want to "borrow" this idea from an on-line friend of mine.  As she studied the names of God, she put her scrapbooking skills to work and made a scrapbook of the names of God.  If you're like I am and don't consider yourself to be particularly "crafty", I challenge you to join me in not being intimidated!!  Just because we are not particularly skilled at calligraphy does not mean we cannot assemble a wonderful book with Scriptures and our personal insights to help us remember what we learn!  Think about that today.....how are you going to record what you have learned?

"And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does acccording to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What hast Thou done?' "  (Daniel 4:35)