God knows what he's doing

February 16, 2009

God knows what he's doing

Psalm 33

Madison Kerner

Central Truth

The Lord can sometimes "ruin" our plans, but He gives something much greater in exchange.

The Lord frustrates the decisions of the nations; he nullifies the plans of the peoples. (Psalm 33:10)

The Steadfast Love of the LORD

1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
    Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The LORD looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
    on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
    he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

The summer before my senior year of high school, I had my future planned out. I knew where I would go to college, what I would do for my career, and who I was going to marry. Things looked completely different, however, the summer after my senior year. I was on my way to college in a state I had only visited once, clueless about what I wanted to do in life, and without a boyfriend for the first time in four years. I listened to what the Lord wanted me to do instead of what I wanted, and it drastically changed my life.

As humans, our pride leads us to believe that we are in control. We think we know exactly how things will turn out, but in reality God is the only One who knows our future. "A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) Almost daily, I am guilty of making my own plans before going to the Lord. I get frustrated when my plans fail, but then I realize that those plans were mine, not from the Lord. When am I going to trust that God has plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future? (Jeremiah 29:11)

In this passage, the psalmist reminds us why we can trust the Lord:

He is just and fair (33:4)
He is faithful (33:5)
He spoke, and the heavens and the earth were created (33:7-9)
He watches over us from heaven (33:13)
He sustains and protects us (33:19-20)

We can trust that the Lord is good because of His faithfulness throughout time. If I did not follow the Lord's direction three years ago, I would not have experienced amazing friends, two life-changing trips to Africa, a heart for urban ministry, and a love relationship with Jesus Christ that I never imagined was possible. God had much bigger plans for me than I could have imagined for myself.

It is never easy to follow where the Lord wants you to go, but trust Him. It's worth it!

1. How has God been faithful in your life?

2. Do you trust that the Lord wants His best for you?

3. How often do you ask the Lord before making plans (big or small)?

4. Do your plans inhibit you from fully seeking the Lord, or do they encourage you and others close to you?