Thanking him for the bad: A final word on The Sovereignty of God (1928)
Near the end of his book, A.W. Pink paints a picture of a Christian businessperson who thanks God for a safe train journey, a good week of retail sales, and many other blessings in life.
"So far, so good," Pink writes. "But imagine the opposites." What if the person's train was delayed or wrecked? What if the week's business was dismal, lightning struck the shop, or burglars ravaged it? "Do I see the hand of God in these things?" the author asks.
Good question. Do we thank him for the bad, or just the good?
"There is no real rest for your poor heart until you learn to see the hand of God in everything," says Pink.
As we finish up our examination of this difficult doctrine, Pink summarizes:
"[W]hile God is infinite in His holiness, He has permitted evil to enter His fair creation … while He is the Possessor of all power, He has allowed the Devil to wage war against Him for six thousand years at least … while He is the perfect embodiment of love, He spared not His own Son … while He is the God of all grace, not all are made partakers of that grace.
"High mysteries are these. Scripture does not deny them, but acknowledges their existence—'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!' (Rom. 11:33.)"
It's hard enough to accept the bad that happens, but to thank the Almighty for it? This is truly a mark of mature, servant-of-God leadership.
Lord, humble us so we can learn gratefulness. Help us turn pain into trust.
You are sovereign.
Grateful,
Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com
LinkedIn profile | Books
Here are the other devotions about God's sovereignty:
Discerning God's sovereign will in your leadership
Why, God? Grappling with the mystery of God's sovereignty
We're lumps of clay, so let's lead like it
Want to succeed in 2026? Here's the secret, according to A.W. Pink
Why pray, if God is sovereign? 4 wonderful reminders
Trying on a new attitude as we pray to a sovereign God
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
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- Want to succeed in 2026? Here’s the secret, according to A.W. Pink (by Tom Harper)
- A Christmas truth, a personal regret (by Tom Harper)
