Nothing can stop the purposes of God, and we can be very glad
By Dean Collins
Nothing can stop the purposes of God. That thought should probably make us tremble and then take a deep breath and relax. The Scriptures are filled with texts and stories to show us God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere in every moment. Considering this reality should make us humbly bow down and praise God for all of his magnificence. There is none like him. He was before, He is now, and forever more will be the King of glory.
So if God is all-powerful and all-knowing and his purposes cannot be stopped, then why is it we sometimes have trouble trusting that we can fully expect God to be with us and get us through whatever we are experiencing?
God’s purposes
Proverbs 20:24 says, “A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?” Does that mean I have no control over where I step or which road I take? Does this passage suggest that God leads us into our health, financial, and family problems? Most certainly not. While God is a convenient source of blame for many things, he is certainly not responsible for the bad, evil, or fractured messes in our lives and in our world.
Isaiah reminds us that God’s counsel stands and his purposes will be accomplished. When we remember the broad narrative of Scripture, we know that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and all they contain. He declared all of his creation good. He created humans in his image and breathed life into his image-bearers. He gave us dominion to steward his creation and to receive benefit from all of its goodness. Sadly, our sin brought disruption and brokenness. But God’s purpose remains. He is now working his purposes of renewing and restoring all that is broken so that we again might dwell forever in a new Heaven and earth. To quote Isaiah again: “I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”
God’s plans
The second part of Proverbs 20:24 is extremely relevant for us and has been true for every person in every past, present, and future generation: “How then can man understand his way?” We don’t fully understand our steps just as we can never fully understand God’s plans. We know them broadly and yearn to know them specifically, but in God’s wisdom, he has chosen not to reveal every detail along the way. Spiritual maturity involves surrender so the wisdom of God trumps every possible description and explanation we might offer.
I encourage you to look back at your steps and plans just as I am doing today. I believe you will note that since you are still here, God is still directing your steps. His purposes are still at work in your life as they are in mine. Looking back at my steps, I will confess to making some good plans and taking some good steps at times while at other times I have made missteps. But what is abundantly clear is that God has and will work through all of these steps of ours, constantly redeeming them for his purposes as we surrender to him.
In Romans, Paul points out that the potter has full rights over the clay and not the other way around. God is patiently molding and shaping so that even as broken vessels we might declare his glory. It is humbling to see how God does that day by day.
Father as we look back, we see the work of your hand in our lives. We are grateful that even when we push plans not in line with your will, you continue to redeem us and our plans for your glory. Encourage us today to trust that you, Lord, will direct our steps and it is completely fine that we will not always realize what and how you are working in our lives. Help us to trust your purposes and participate in them daily for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Proverbs 20:24; Romans 9:20-23; Isaiah 46:8-11 ESV
Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash
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