Nothing can happen without God’s permission! Do you believe it? Well, whether you believe it or not, it is a fact. God is Sovereign. He is the King, the ruler or the boss. He calls the shots in the universe. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”. Therefore, it holds then that everything that happens in heaven or on earth is subject to God’s commands.
He is in charge of all things. Nothing can take place without Him sanctioning it. Life is not a series of random, freak accidents. Everything that happens is planned and orchestrated by Him. If we only grasp this truth and comprehend that fact, we will stop worrying about a lot of things because absolutely nothing happens without God’s permission. Even the devil has to seek his permission. Therefore God alone has the final say in our lives and the events of the world.
Even if we try, no one can manipulate or coerce God to do anything. He permits things to happen because they have a divine purpose. So even when it looks like God is not ruling, He is. When chaos appears, he is still in charge. When things start falling apart, He is still in charge. He is an expert at bringing good out of every bad situation. He will use any circumstance to fulfill his purpose. Search the scriptures and you will see.
God could have kept Paul out of prison in Philippi but, instead, He allowed Paul to go to prison so that the jailer could become a believer. God could have kept Jesus from the cross but He let Him go – His own Son – to suffer and die so that He could become our redeemer. God specializes in turning crucifixions into resurrections. The things we wish most to be removed from our lives are often the very things that God uses to shape us and make us into the believer of characters He wants us to be. He can use our problems for our good.
We need to remember – nothing can happen without God’s permission as we travel along life’s journey. This is grounded in scripture. Study the life of Job and his experiences. Satan, himself, is shown to be limited only to what God gives him ‘permission’ to do (Job 1:6,12; 2:6). Another example of this is in John 19:11 where Jesus tells Pilate, “You would have no authority against me, if it were not having been given you from above….”.
Nobody in authority, or ruler of any country, can carry out any decision or policy they have made unless God gives them ‘permission’ to do so. “Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word” (Proverbs 16:1). Whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in, God not only allowed it, but also engineered it for his divine purpose.
Sometimes God permits things to come into our lives to humble us. For it is only when we are thoroughly humbled that we will confess that God is all-powerful. No one can tell God what to allow or not allow. He does what he wants, and no one can stand against him. Job came to that realization during his saga which led him to deep repentance for his foolish questioning of God’s plan. He also came to the awareness that God can do all things, and no plan of his can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).
Everything in the universe is either caused by God or allowed by God. Nothing ever “just happens” and nothing is caused by someone or something outside of God’s control. Some things He directly causes; other things He allows to happen. God can answer our prayers any way he chooses. Our God is infinitely creative in the way he deals with us as he brings us to spiritual maturity. There are bright days and dark nights, and both are from the Lord. He is absolutely free to do whatever he wants to do.
God sometimes allows us to have our way as well. This was illustrated in the story about the people of Israel who asked for a king. They wanted Saul to be their king and God granted them their wishes. Was the request for a king wrong in itself? In Gen. 49:10, Jacob prophesied that one day they would have a king. In Numbers 24:17, Balaam prophesied that one day they would have a king. In Deut. 17:14-15, since Israel would one day have a king, specific instructions were given on how to choose a king – God’s way. These instructions were ignored. The people just wanted a king and so God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted.
You see, God has a way of getting our attention. He allows things so that we will rely solely on Him. Whatever is happening to us is part of the working of God’s plan. Though humans have caused it, God has allowed it to come. He did not intervene to stop it. God will help us through it as well. In the end, we would learn many painful and much-needed lessons but it will be for good. Nothing happens anywhere in the universe by accident. There is no such thing as luck or fate or chance. God is at work in all things at all times to accomplish his will in the universe. He does whatever pleases him. Nothing can happen without his permission. He always has the final say.
May this poem bring us comfort today:
“Things don’t just happen to children of God,
They’re part of a wonderful PLAN!
The troubles, reverses, the sorrows, the rod,
Are strokes of the Great Sculptor’s hand!
Things don’t just happen to children of God,
The blueprint was made by His hand;
He designed all the details to conform to His Son,
So all things that happen are planned!” (Author unknown).
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
