The Emotions of a Sovereign God

God is immutable. That is to say, that perfection cannot be improved upon.

Malachi 3:6 I the LORD do not change.
James 1:17 …the Father of the heavenly lights …does not change like shifting shadows.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He does not change and therefore cannot be changed. A sovereign God cannot be acted upon and be caused to feel or do anything. That he is sovereign means that he is never out of control of the situation or his response to it. He chooses how he feels and acts as opposed to having his emotions inflicted upon him by circumstances, whether his or ours.

If we were sovereign over our emotions, it is almost certain that we would choose to be happy and content in what was going well and at worst, calm and detached when having to endure that which was unpleasant.

It is easy to imagine one who is sovereign both over his circumstances and his emotions as never having his feathers ruffled. But this is not the case with God. He is anything but removed or disconnected, but rather, he chooses real and rational responses to our pain.

Isa 63:9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Hosea 12:8 “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. 9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.

I cannot picture God being “distressed” or “torn”, but there it is: An emotionally present God, doing all that he pleases…

Psalms 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

… and yet entering our pain and overflowing with sympathy we do not deserve.

Mark 1:41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"

I cannot accurately, exhaustively picture divine sovereignty or timeless eternality. I must choose to speak to him in my pain as a child in time and know that despite whatever comfort I may take from his control over all things, he always responds as one who is compassionately involved.

Jesus wept. John 11:35

We will become like the God we worship. The God we worship chooses to feel our pain deeply. We must do the same. Then one day, these finely tuned and deepened emotions will know only the pleasure of his unending company.

Psalms 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.