Is God really sovereign over all things? Thank you to Jan Lacher for pointing to this great devotional from Joni Eareckson Tada today.  

You can also read it here, or subscribe to receive it via email.

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:19-20

Once I was discussing the subject of gratitude with a friend who had broken her ankle. For her, being on crutches wasn’t fun. There were many appointments and travel plans she had to cancel. “I can accept a verse like I Thessalonians 5:18, ‘Give thanks in all circumstances...’” she sighed, looking at her leg cast, “but I don’t think I could give thanks for this clunky thing.” 

Something about her comment troubled me. People are willing to thank God in the midst of their circumstances for his grace, comfort, and sustaining power. But they draw a line when it comes to the circumstances themselves. We segregate God from the suffering he allows, as though a broken ankle merely “happens,” and God shows up after the fact. We don’t thank God for the problem, just for finding him in it.

But today’s verse underscores the supreme sovereignty of God over all suffering. The apostle Paul – who endured his share of tragedies – never considered his circumstances as tragic. He tells all believers we should be, “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” [italics mine]. 

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I give God thanks for my quadriplegia. It has become the strange friend which helps me know Jesus better. It is the shadowy companion that walks with me daily, pulling and pushing me into the arms of the Savior where I find grace and comfort. Your affliction falls well within the overarching decrees of God. It comes from his wise and kind hand and for that, you can give thanks. In it and for it. 

Sovereign God, today I bring my affliction and disappointment before your throne. I thank you in it... for it... and ultimately I thank you for bringing me through it. Please increase a spirit of gratitude that I might always be thankful.