There is a particular phrase I’ve heard spoken countless times over the years, and I like it less every time I hear it. No doubt, you’ve heard it too, usually in drawn out, religious-sounding tones—when circumstances seem to fall short of what God has promised us in His Word. “Well, Brother, you have to remember…God is sovereign.” As spiritual as that phrase might sound, it really bothers me. It’s not that I don’t believe God is sovereign. Certainly He is. According to Webster’s Dictionary, sovereign means “above or superior to all others; supreme in power, rank or authority.” Without question, God is all those things. But all too often, when people refer to the sovereignty of God, what they’re actually saying is, “You never know what God will do. After all, He’s all-powerful and totally independent, so He does whatever He wants whenever He wants.” The problem with that view of sovereignty is it releases us of all responsibility. After all, if God is sovereign, He will do what He wants anyway, so we might as well go watch television and forget about it, right? Wrong. After 41 years of studying the Word and preaching the gospel, I’ve come to realize that God does very few things—if any—in this earth without man’s cooperation. Even though it belongs to God—it is His creation and He owns it. According to Psalm 8:6, God Himself put mankind in charge. He doesn’t intervene in the affairs of earth whenever He wants. He respects the dominion and authority He has given us. So, until man’s lease on this planet expires, God restricts His power on the earth, taking action only when He is asked to do so. Since the people who do the asking (the intercessors) are often very quiet people who do their praying in secret, it may appear at times that God simply acts on His own. But regardless of appearances, the Bible teaches from cover to cover that God’s connection with man is a prayer and faith connection. When you see Him act in a mighty way, you can be sure there was someone, somewhere praying and interceding to bring Him on the scene. 2 Chronicles 10-11; Hebrews 2 God has given me dominion over all the works of His hands. He has put all things under my feet. Psalm 8:6