Every Hour I Need You: 7 Meditations for Moms on the Character of God Sample

God Is Sovereign

As much as we moms sometimes think we’re in charge, ultimately we’re not. Yes, God delegates authority to us as parents; we’re responsible to teach and train our children, and Scripture instructs them to honor and obey us (see Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1–2). But our authority, as well as our ability to protect our children, is limited. Thankfully, it’s different with God.

God is sovereign, ruling over all things (not some things) and in complete control all the time (not some of the time). As King David prayed, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all” (1 Chronicles 29:11–12, ESV).

Notice the repetition of the word “all.” All is God’s. He is head above all. He rules over all. He gives strength to all. All is all-encompassing and absolute, and God’s sovereignty invites us to worship him.

But if God is in control, how do we make sense of the sorrows of motherhood—the miscarriages, painful foster care scenarios, teenage rebellion, and adult children who forsake Christ? Why doesn’t God always heal our sick children, help us kick our sinful habits overnight, or “automatically” make us content? His ways are different than ours, and they can be downright baffling some days.

When three of my children were diagnosed with a serious genetic condition, grief and questions overwhelmed me. As hard as that time was, the Lord used the truth about his character and promises from Scripture to sustain me, and I found particular comfort in the story of Job. Despite painful circumstances, it’s clear throughout Job’s story that God is in charge. Job finally confesses, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2, ESV). In the end, Job finds true comfort in repentance and submission to the Lord and the Lord’s ways (Job 42:6).

God’s sovereignty can be difficult to wrap our minds around, but it’s our comfort too. It assures us that even when life seems to spin out of control, our heavenly Father remains in control, and this reality matters even more than having our questions answered.

Meditating on God’s sovereignty leads to what is perhaps most bewildering: our sovereign God humbled himself, dying on the cross. God’s means to accomplish salvation for his children makes no sense on a human level, but our Savior’s humility was the path to his exaltation, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11, ESV).

Reflection Questions:

1. As a mom, are you okay with not being in full control?

2. How is God’s sovereignty good news for you today?