What does it mean to say "God is Sovereign"?

God's will runs like a fine oiled machine which is made from holy metal. People on both sides of the debate claim that God is sovereign, and that He does what He wants to. Neither side wants to try to say that God is not sovereign.

But, what do they say when they are challenged on their ideas? Ahhhhhh, now that is the question. For example, when I listen to one who is oriented as an Arminian, I might hear her say: "I was driving my car when some knucklehead ran a red light. Their car just missed my car by a fraction of a second. God was watching over me!"

And what Christian would dare to challenge such a testimony? None that I know of. Yet, if I were to challenge her thinking regarding God's sovereignty over her life, she would claim that only she had the power to bring about her salvation. "Yes", she would argue, God's power made it possible for her to become saved, but it was only by her acquiescence (her permission) that it could occur. Without her own personal acknowledgment, nothing would have happened - God's power and sovereignty did not extend to this part of her life.

On the other hand, if I were to challenge one who is oriented as a Calvinist, I might hear them say, "I was driving my car when some knucklehead ran a red light. Their car just missed my car by a fraction of a second. God watches over His children."

And, once again, no true Christian would dare to challenge such a testimony. However, what will this Calvinist say to those Christians who find themselves riddled with cancer? Should they then say that God has abandoned them? Is it God's will that His children get cancer?

I maintain that things happen that God does not ordain. Like the tower of Siloam that fell down and there was eighteen men who were in the tower who died. Jesus asked, "[Do you suppose]...that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?" (Luke 13:4)

Was this event part of God's will? Of course it was. But the real question is whether or not God's hand caused this to happen. Or, to put it another way, is it required of God to orchestrate every minute occurence, down to the splitting of an atom, in order for God's design to proceed?

I answer, "No." What do you think?