And our Lord is the Savior: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Lk 19:10) "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Eph.1:7-10)
Both our Sovereign and our Savior. Oh my, how thankful I am, because that means He is in control of all, all, all things. Nothing happens to our loved ones apart from His sovereign, wise, and perfect plans--even when we, with our limited vision, cannot see or understand what He's up to. He knows. He's in control. And He's relentlessly good, wise, and powerful, so we can trust Him, His plans, and His ways.
But at the very same time, Jesus is also our Savior--the Gentle, compassionate, ever-loving, ever-forgiving Good Shepherd who tirelessly and tenderly saves, guards, and cares for His beloved sheep. The depths of His grace none can fathom. His love has no limits. Oh my, how thankful I am for my gracious, good, gentle--yet infinitely powerful--Savior.
You know why I'm thinking about all this? Well, we have a number of dear friends struggling with serious diseases and other facing debilitating difficulties. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say, this world can be mighty full of sorrow and suffering.
But we need not fear--no matter how frightening the diagnosis or impossible the dilemma. Because we have both an almighty, all powerful, ever-present Sovereign who is in control of everything. And we have a gracious, glorious, relentlessly good Savior who will never ever leave us nor forsake us...and who is working ALL things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28)
"As Sovereign, He rules over all the situations, locations, and relationships that may cause me fear, but as Savior, He is rescuing, empowering, and transforming me by grace. Because God is my Sovereign, my life is never out of control, and because He is my Savior, He blesses me with everything I need to live in the middle of things that are beyond my control. He is a Sovereign Savior, which I don't need to fear, because He is with me and He provides everything I need for the places where His plan leads me." (Paul David Tripp)
I don't know what you might be facing today or where fear might be assailing your heart, but can I remind you that not only do you have an all-powerful, ever-present Sovereign, but you also have an all-gracious, ever-providing Savior. You tell me: if you have such a powerful, gracious, good, eternal, changeless Sovereign Savior with you, and for you, every moment of everyday, what do you need to fear? Answer: nothing. Nada. Never.
He is here. He is able. He is great. And He is oh so good. Hand Him your fears...and trust. Hand Him your problems...and believe. He's got it...and He's got you.
To God be the glory.
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