The Sovereignty Of God’s Love: How Are We To Comprehend It?

The attributes or characteristics of God are well known. For example, God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere. He is described as compassionate, just, and merciful. To Him is ascribed faithfulness, goodness, and holiness. All these and more may be condensed into the sovereignty of God’s Love.

How does one come to grips with such a God as this? We may begin to understand this God that is beyond comprehension in the following way.

Taken separately, the parable of The Prodigal Son and Isaiah’s stunning praise of God’s sovereignty (Isaiah 40) are powerful messages of God’s immeasurable love. But when considered together, they form a breathtaking, impossible-to-fully-understand presentation of the awesome nature of God. Begin with Isaiah and these passages that beg the question: “who is this god, to whom can he be compared?â€

Isaiah 40

12 

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

    or weighed the mountains on the scales

    and the hills in a balance?

25 

“To whom will you compare me?

    Or who is my equal?†says the Holy One.

26 

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:

    Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one

    and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

    not one of them is missing.

Next, consider this simple scene from Luke 15:20-24:

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.â€

Taken together, we see that God’s love is as incomprehensible and boundless as His being. The Holy One whose dominion stretches from the stars in the heavens to the depths of the seas is constantly scanning His creation for us, waiting to welcome us back into His presence where a heavenly feast awaits.