God has the sovereignty to do whatever he wants, and though we may make plans, those that come to pass are established by God. If God wills, you will do what you will to do tomorrow. Even evil things can be used by God for his glorious purposes, like in the story of Job. Every small detail is controlled by God, every atom is set in place by God, and nothing happens without God willing it to happen.

In our natural state, we are spiritually dead and slaves to sin. In Christ, we are saved, adopted, and made righteous. We do not have unlimited potential or self-determination. Yet, we are responsible for our actions and choices. God’s sovereignty does not nullify our responsibility, and our responsibility does not nullify God’s sovereignty.

In the same way that darkness and cold is the absence of light, sin and evil is an absence, or withdrawing, of God’s positive agency. God has a will of decree and a will of command. God’s moral will is that all will be saved, but he does not force it because he has a greater sovereign will. All of suffering is God’s judgement on humanity through The Fall, and we must groan within for God to return and save us. God is our only hope in suffering, and only a sovereign God can secure us through our suffering. Renounce yourself, and rely on God. God ordains the end, and the means to the end. God can heal and harden, give and take away, create a vessel for mercy or a vessel for wrath.