The Beginning…
When there was nothing, there was God. Then He spoke, and all that is came into being. That is the creation account of Genesis chapter 1. God is the creator, not a jump starter, facilitator, or participator. He is the origin of everything! There are no accidents or mistakes in creation. There is a divine designer.
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours, the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. Psalm 89:11
I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no God…I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. Isaiah 45:5,7
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11
Rise and fall of Nations
Every nation and border has been set in place by the hand of the Almighty. The rise and fall of every nation and kingdom is by divine design.
He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. Job 12:23
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place. Acts 17:26
Weather
All weather, including “snow…rain…heat…[and] gloom of night” are determined by the divine decree of God.
For to the snow he says, “Fall on the earth” likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour….By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning. They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen. Job 37:6, 10-13
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. Psalm 89:9
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Psalm 135:7
He sends out his command to the earth; his words run swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. Psalm 147:15-18
See Matthew 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25 where Jesus calms the storm.
Our days
The truth of God’s sovereignty can remain a distant, ethereal idea – meaning, we think He’s off handling only big issues and far removed from our everyday lives. Or we can personalize it and recognize His providence even in the things we think are small or trivial. Before the sun rose and set on the first day, your birthday and death-day were written in God’s book. His sovereignty and foreknowledge extends to the lifespan of every human being who has and will ever live.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. Deuteronomy 32:39
…and the End
God is the beginning (Alpha), and He is the end (Omega). God is not reacting to world events. God is orchestrating them.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Revelation 21:6
Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,” calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:8-11
See also Isaiah 44:6; 48:5, 12.
We find stability and strength if, by faith, we accept that there is a God, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. We grow in confidence that, despite popular opinions or how things look from where we stand, our world is not careening out of control. God actually does have the whole world in His hand. Resting in that reality, we aren’t forced to try to save the planet, preserve the human race, or stare down the next existential threat. We know that God sits securely on His throne, ruling and reigning over every square inch of the universe. We have the peace of God that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) knowing that nothing happens that has not first come to His throne. God is the King of the universe.