Confidence in the sovereignty of God in all that affects us is crucial to our trusting Him. if there is a single event in all of the universe that can occur outside of God's sovereign control, then we cannot trust Him.

God rules the world by Providence, not by miracle.

He so directs and controls all events and all actions of His creatures that they never act outside of His sovereign will.

Yet God does this in such a way that these people make their decisions and carry out their plans by their own free and voluntary choices.

Does God cause people to make decisions that favor us, and does God restrain people from making decisions that would harm us?

Yet God controls the king's heart. The stubborn will of the most powerful monarch on earth is directed by God as easily as the farmer directs the flow of water in his irrigation canals.

Why did Rehoboam make such a foolish decision? The Scripture says, "So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken" (1 Kings 12:15). Two foolish decisions were made, in two instances good advice was rejected and harmful or foolish advice was followed. Both instances are attributed to the sovereign work of God guiding the minds of the kings to accomplish His will.

Proverbs 21:31, "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD," is one of the most frequently stated truths about the sovereignty of God in all of the Old Testament.

God's providence is His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation for His own glory and the good of His people.

The fact is we do not know what God is doing through a particular set of circumstances or events.

There is no conflict in the Bible between His sovereignty and our responsibility.

Details are important, and God is just as sovereign over the details as He is over the so-called "big picture.