Shofar Stellenbosch | Our FatherSample

Devotional: A Sovereign Father

God is the King of kings and Lord of lords, who actively exercise absolute rule over all creation. This means that God has absolute freedom and He can do whatever He wants to. He is not accountable to man for any of His actions or His will. He will reign forever as our sovereign and Supreme Master (Psalm 135:6, Psalm 115:3). God is self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied and in need of nothing. He does not need our worship, finances, obedience or sacrifice.

Abraham knew God as the One who is absolutely in control. The name for God as our Sovereign Ruler is El Elyon. Scripture often also refers to “God Most High” (Genesis 14:19- 20, Revelation 4:11).

God is not looking for perfection, but willingness from us to change. He will change us through His love. Although He is sovereign, He will not overrule the choices we make.

We cannot be totally free in our relationship with God if we do not have a healthy understanding of the fear of God. The fear of God simply means to be in awe of who He is (Psalm 33:8, Psalm 89:6-8, Proverbs 1:7).

The fear of man and the fear of God cannot operate in our lives simultaneously. If we submit to the fear of man we will always be concerned about what people say or think about us. We should not live our lives based on whether other people accept or approve of what we do. The fear of God will result in us running towards God and not away from Him.

Reflective question:

• What are some of the things that you think the Lord hates as evil?