God is sovereign over 2025 surprises!

*NOTE: In 2025, Wednesdays will celebrate "Walking in the Word" through application of Biblical doctrine. Biblical doctrine fuels doxology, delight in Jesus, and gospel centered discipleship. Today we begin "Walking in the Word" by celebrating the sovereignty of God.

Key Verse: "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." Ephesians 1:11
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As a new year begins, we would be wise to realize that life often unfolds in ways we don’t expect. In 2021, Callan Brown and I celebrated the work of John Newton through this Scripture and Song reflection. As 2025 begins, I want to celebrate God’s sovereignty through reflecting on a ministry transition for Jonathan Edwards.  
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In 1750, after 21 years of faithful ministry, Edwards was dismissed from his church in Northampton, Massachusetts. Edward’s congregation voted for his removal (230 to 23) because of his position on regenerate church membership- an experience that must have left Edward’s feeling crushed. Edwards loved the people of Northampton, but in hindsight this painful moment of fracturing from his long-time church family was part of God’s sovereign plan to fertilize kingdom fruitfulness through Edwards in ways he  couldn’t have imagined.

Edwards’ dismissal led him to the mission field in Stockbridge where he ministered to the Delaware Indians. What seemed like a setback became a stepping stone to bring the gospel to those on the margins of society, participation in God’s purposes to gather His people from every tribe and tongue (Revelation 7:9). Through this redirection, God not only multiplied His mission but also used Edwards’ time serving the Delaware Indians to produce enduring theological works such as The End for which God Created the World. After eight years in Stockbridge, Edwards was invited to be the president of Princeton.

Psalm 33:11 reminds us, “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Whatever surprises come your way in 2025, you can trust that God’s purposes are never thwarted. Even in seasons of disappointment or loss, suffering or trials- God is working for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28-31). In God's sovereignty, our struggle is never the end of the story.  
 
What might feel like failure in your life could be God’s way of leading you into new opportunities to glorify Him. As Edwards himself modeled, God is glorified when His people are dependent on Him, satisfied in Him and His sovereignty through trusting His providential leading. Let this be a year of leaning fully on God’s sovereignty, trusting that He is at work in unexpected ways to accomplish His eternal purposes in and through you.

Key Verse: "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." Ephesians 1:11

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