The Sovereignty and Providence of God
By Tina Halvorson

What is the sovereignty of God and its importance to the counseling process? The sovereignty of God is that He is above all others in authority. God’s sovereignty and power is limitless. God is in control of everything and nothing happens in this world that he doesn’t allow to happen. Romans 11:33-36 – “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” God’s sovereignty is so important in the biblical counseling process. The biblical counseling process is based on God’s Word and his ways. We need to understand that his ways are the best ways. Isaiah 55:8-9 - ”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” We need to choose to obey Him, we will be judged at the end for the choices that we choose in this life. So we need to find out what God’s will is. Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” And in James 1:5 – “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” This is where biblical counseling is important. If you don’t know where to look for help turn to a biblical counselor to help you search out the scriptures so you will know God’s will and understand what He expects from you in your situation. In John 14:6, “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” To help us get through the trials and tribulations in this life we are to look towards Jesus Christ and follow His ways, surrender our life over to Him and he will help us to stay on the right path in this life.
What is the providence of God and its importance to the counseling process? The providence of God is the foreseeing care and guidance of Him over the creatures of the earth. God is our creator and made everything that we see. In Genesis 1 we can read that he created the sky, seas and land, he also created the animals, fish and birds. God also created human beings in his image. God cared about us so much that he made us to be like Him. God also made Adam and Eve, the first humans, to have no sin. Sin didn’t come into the picture until they made the choice to sin. God allows us to have free will (to make our own choices) even though He is in control of everything that happens. This is important to understand in the counseling process as we need to know that God is in control of everything. Sometimes He is not happy with our choices but He allows them to happen, even the bad choices. He cares for everything, he created everything and he guides all the creatures of this earth including us. He loves us more than we know. He created us for his purpose. When Adam and Eve made the choice to sin, God later brought Jesus Christ to this Earth to become a servant and to die on the cross for our sins. This is how much God loves us. He didn’t want there to be anymore sin. He had already wiped out the Earth with the Flood previously in Noah’s days. (Genesis 6 - 9) God wants us all to come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and as the sacrifice for our sins in this life. The only way we can come to the Father is through the Son. John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” After Jesus’ death on the cross and as he resurrected to be with God the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to be with us to guide us in this life. Without this help we would not be able to live the life that Jesus calls us to. God cares about us so much and wants to help us as much as he can in this life that He not only sent Jesus to sacrifice himself for the sins we commit but he also gives us the Holy Spirit to continue to guide us in this life and to help us remember the things that Jesus calls us to be and to help us know the will of our Father God.