Scriptures: Psalm 103:19, 115:3, 135:5-6, 112:7, Proverbs 16:33, Job 42:2, Isaiah 56:10, Genesis 50:20, 45:8, Matthew 10:29-31, 6:34, 1 Peter 5:7, Romans 11:33-36

Sometimes when something good happens, Christians will call it a "God thing". But God things don't only refer to good happenings, because God is in control of all things. This is a profound and often misunderstood doctrine we refer to as the sovereignty of God. A sovereign God possesses supreme power and authority over everyone and everything, so that He is in complete control and can accomplish whatever He pleases, whenever He pleases, wherever He pleases. Now what does this mean? This means that everything that happens - everything - comes about because God either directly causes it or God consciously allows it. Nothing enters into history or can exist outside of history that does not come under the complete control of God. In this message, Dr. Merritt untangles the doctrine of God's sovereignty in a powerful and personal way.

"God's sovereignty has a lot of practical implications for the way we live and how we live. If this is true, then there is no such thing as luck. That is a word that I try never to use or at least use in a serious way. I cringe when i hear of people who have been miraculously spared from death or serious injury or misfortune 'thank their lucky stars' or say they 'can't get over how lucky they are.' You are never lucky or unlucky. If there is a God and there is and if He sits on the throne of this universe and He does, then nothing happens by chance. Anything that happens to you, good or bad must pass through His sovereign fingers first. That also means in the truest sense of the term there are no accidents. Nothing happens that God could not have prevented or God did not see coming. Nothing happens without a divine purpose ultimately behind it." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: God, sovereign, control, absolute, universe, accident, happenstance, wish, dream, motion, acting, accomplish, intent, harm, best, just, fair, glory, good, intention, glory, faith, providence, worry, Todd and Lisa Beamer, September 11, 2001, wisdom, knowledge, mercy, mistakes