He is Sovereign

I recall the eagerness and excitement with which my son went off to Kindergarten. He was 5 years old, but because his birthday was a day after the State’s age cut-off, he had waited a year to begin school. Kindergarten was great, but as he moved into first grade, he started to lose interest in his schoolwork. He was bored; he was capable of doing more advanced work than he was being assigned. I spoke with his teachers and with the school administrator. They could do nothing to change the grade he was in.  


Well, God had been speaking to my heart about homeschooling my son. I spent the rest of his first grade year praying about the decision, knowing it would be possible only with God’s help. My husband was receptive to the idea; however, family members and close friends were sure we would cause major psychological damage to our son and leave him an uneducated, unsocialized misfit of society. Despite the criticism, the mocking and intense questioning, I was convinced that this was God’s plan for our family; I trusted Him to grant us success.

In Nehemiah Chapters 1 through 6, we see Nehemiah weeping and mourning for his country. He accepted the call from God to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls and the gates; this had not been accomplished in over 140 years. Though fearful of approaching King Artaxerxes for permission to leave court, Nehemiah trusted God to grant him favor with the king.  He prayed, reminding himself of the God in whom he had faith, “... Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Neh. 1:5).

Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah faced new hurdles for rebuilding the wall, from verbal discouragement to physical assaults.  He was not deterred by the efforts of Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem to derail God’s plan to restore His people to their homeland. Some of the men worked with one hand and carried a weapon in the other, while others worked with a sword girded to their side.  Nehemiah’s encouragement, “Our God will fight for us,” (Neh. 4:20b) allowed them to continue working on the wall and accomplishing the task that God has called them to do; it was completed in 52 days. God gave Nehemiah success.


Despite the naysayers and mockers among my family members and friends, my son’s homeschool journey was a success.  He completed high school with many college credits, attended a private Christian college, completed two Master’s degrees in Ministry and is now serving God as a Chaplain.  God gave my son academic success, and is using him to reach the lost.


We often face challenges that seem too big to overcome. Like Nehemiah we need to remind ourselves of the great God we serve.  Our God is sovereign.  He is in control of everything that happens in our lives; our best made plans will fall apart without God’s gracious hand upon them.  Trust the calling of your heart to the Lord, and He will go before you.


God wants to use us to accomplish His divine plans. He gives us opportunities to seek Him, trust Him, and hold fast to His promises. May we eagerly respond to His invitation to make an eternal impact on the lives of those around us.  He alone can give us victory.​

“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 (NIV)

About the Author

Hi, I am Joan Lavori.  I have been married to my husband Joe for 33 years.  We have two young adult children and we live in NW Atlanta. I homeschooled my children through high school and currently teach in a hybrid homeschool program.  I love to write, read, sing and take long walks on the beach, listening to God's Word and soaking up His marvelous creation.  ​​