God's Sovereignty

“Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: Thou hast made summer and winter.” (Psalms 74:17)

Asaph wrote this psalm. He was the music director in David’s time. In this verse Asaph is praying to the Lord, exalting Him for the great things He has done and reproving the works of the enemy, specifically invaders and idolators. “Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed Thy name.” (Psalms 74:18)

The Lord is the One in control of the earth. David wrote, “A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods.” (Psalms 24:1-2) The whole earth is the Lord’s. “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” (Deuteronomy 10:14) Paul also writes the same truth. “For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.” (1Corintians 10:26) There is nothing done on this earth that is a surprise to the Lord. He knows all the things that are done here on this earth and all the doings of man, even when it seems that things have gone terribly wrong.

In Bible times, the Babylonians came, destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and took the people captive away to Babylon. One would think, this wouldn’t have happened if God had stopped them. But it was God’s will because of the sin of Judah and Israel. There was no redemption for sin in those days and their sin was great. Just like Asaph prayed to the Lord that the earth was the Lord’s, God was in control of what He had created and what happened to man. “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.” (Jeremiah 27:5-6) God used Nebuchadnezzar for His purposes. Asaph reassures himself that yes, God has set all the borders of the earth, the coasts, the forests and deserts. And whatever happens God is well able to take care of it. They belong to the Lord.

God made the seasons, and they all fulfill His purpose on the earth. The seasons benefit the earth and benefit man. “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. ...” (Song of Solomon 2:11-13) And Isaiah writes in his prophecy, “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:” (Isaiah 55:10). All the seasons of the earth are for the planting and reaping of the fruit of the land.

But it also makes reference to man’s time on earth as we wait for the Lord to return for us. Our hearts long to be with Him but James tells us to patiently wait. And just as the husbandman or gardener waits for the fruit of the earth waiting for the early and the latter rain, the Lord is patiently waiting for harvest of the early rain and the latter rain. “That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.” (Deuteronomy 11:14-15) The Lord is the husbandman or gardener Who waits for the harvest of mankind. There are appointed times of harvest as Jeremiah called them. (Jeremiah 5:24) We call them revivals that gather the souls of man en masse. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7) Just as the Lord is patient waiting for the latter rain to bring forth the souls of man, we are to be patient also. Zechariah encouraged the people to pray for the latter rain. “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” (Zechariah 10:1) We can pray for the latter rain to fall and cause a great blooming of the fruit and harvest of souls.

Individually there are seasons of drought and seasons of rain in our lives. Through the seasons of drought, we long for the rain that will cause our souls to be revived. The rain is the watering of the Word of God that revives us, heals us, favors us, strengthens us and gives us life. Pray for the latter rain to come into our lives to revive us. The early rain revived us unto salvation. The latter rain for perseverance in this world.

We can also relate the natural seasons of the earth with the seasons in mankind generally as it pertains to the harvest of souls. God has appointed times of harvest or revivals on the earth. He has sent the early rain with the redemption of mankind through Jesus our Lord. We can pray for the latter rain of the season that will cause the fruit of righteousness to bloom in men and create a great harvest.