The Plans of the Lord

I was reading in Isaiah this morning.  Isaiah 14: 24-27 says,  "The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders.  This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?"

And it brought back a little song from a Vacation Bible School in the past.  The song was a paraphrase of Psalm  33:10-11, " The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations."

What an encouragement!  Though the plans of men seemingly go forward without hindrance, He is not taken aback!  His plans are not thrown aside!  And we know that if we are his children we can have confidence in His plan and way.  Consider this thought... Did not many true children of the Lord perish in the Holocaust of WWII?  Of course!  Was God's purpose pushed aside?  To say so would be to say He is not God, and that He is not able to save us who trust in Him.  On the contrary, “the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations!”  That generation (WWII) is included in His purposes.   Though we may not see or recognize his plans does not in the least invalidate them.  He says the following through the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (29:11) For a larger picture of our Gods plans and purposes, read the whole 33rd chapter Jeremiah!  What an encouraging place to read.

Of course, all these plans and purposes are to those called by his name.  Look at this well known verse from Romans, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (8:28)

Are you one of those “called according to His purpose”?  Those who perished in the Holocaust were not all his children.  And we do well to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.  The very passages which to us who are being saved a blessing, store up a curse for those whose life is not shaped by His hand.  Does your life reflect the Savior?  Are you grieved at the things happening in this world which diminish His name?  True Christians will be known by our love one for another.  Do you get angry at the word sin, or does it cause you to be grieved at your own life?

All of us have and do sin and are sinful, even to the very core of our heart.  Scripture maintains that ""The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)  To look at our heart and think we have good within is to be deceived!  Look instead to the Bible and to God, by whom we ought to measure ourselves.  If we find we are lacking by His standard, cry unto Him and he will hear and save!  Then you will be able to, with all His children, find true hope in these times, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope!

Originally published 11 December 2010 at 08:09 here:
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