Reading the Word

“The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” (Proverbs 16:4, ESV)

Understanding and Applying the Word

When you start talking about God’s sovereignty, some become very uncomfortable. It is a theme that you find throughout Scripture, even here in Proverbs 16. Read through the entire chapter. Notice that the chapter begins and ends with statements about the Lord’s sovereignty and includes multiple statements of the same theme in between. To put it quite simply, the Lord is in control. Always.

Why do some become uncomfortable when the subject of God’s sovereignty comes up? Well, some believe that a loving God could not allow bad things to happen to good people. This sounds compelling on the surface, but it misses the fact that God can use what we think of as “bad” to accomplish good things. In fact, this is what Romans 8:28 teaches us. All things work together for the good of those who love God. All of those bad things are for the good of God’s people. Is it better to say that the bad things that happen to us are random and meaningless? Is that more comforting than saying that our loving God is using those things for a good purpose? Today’s proverb is a reminder that all things have a purpose and their purpose is in the hands of the sovereign and loving God.

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