The sovereignty of God is the one impregnable rock to which the suffering human heart must cling.

have written it as a Bible study about God and His sovereignty, wisdom, and love as they bear upon the adversities we all encounter.

First, I desire to glorify God by acknowledging His sovereignty and His goodness. Second, I desire to encourage God's people by demonstrating from Scripture that God is in control of their lives, that He does indeed love them, and that He works out all the circumstances of their lives for their ultimate good.

God had brought a "crooked" event into my life, and I became acutely aware that only He could straighten it. Could I trust God whether or not He

God had brought a "crooked" event into my life, and I became acutely aware that only He could straighten it. Could I trust God whether or not He straightened my "crook" and relieved my distress?

purpose is for us to become so convinced of these truths that we appropriate them in our daily circumstances, that we learn to trust God in the midst of our pain, whatever form it may take. It does not matter whether our pain is trivial or traumatic, temporary or interminable. Regardless of the nature of the circumstances, we must learn to trust God if we would glorify God in them.

we reduce God's control over our lives to a stop-and-go, in-and-out proposition.

God does not always restrain the wicked and harmful actions of others toward His people.

rejoice because we believe He is in control of those circumstances and is at work through them for our ultimate good.

God never makes a mistake; God has no regrets. "As for God, his way is perfect" (Psalm 18:30). We can trust God. He is trustworthy.

Do you need the good favor of a certain professor in order to get a good recommendation for a job? If that job is God's plan for you, God is able to and will move in the heart of that professor to give you a good recommendation.

Though the absolute sovereignty of God over our lives is consistently taught throughout Scripture, it is not the uncaring sovereignty of a despot but of a God who is just as loving and caring as He is sovereign. But we have to by faith believe that truth when His ways are different from that which we desire.