Nothing can thwart the plan of God

Exodus 20; Job 38; Luke 23; 2 Corinthians 8

The Ten Commandments are in Exodus 20. I’ve probably broken all of them in either thought or actions.

In Job 38, God asks Job where he was when God created the world and what does he know about His care for it. Sciences work to answer these questions yet creation is filled with mysteries and unanswered puzzles.

Luke 23 is a short account of Jesus’ trial, conviction, crucifixion, death and burial. It happened because we broke all those commands and in our ignorance of God’s almighty power, we tend to think we know it all when we really don’t know very much. All this makes me sad.

I note also that when people are against Jesus, they become united with each other in their hatred of Him.

And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. (Luke 23:11–12)

This strikes me as true for many today who might not agree on much, but if they mock God, they have common ground, an agreement that uses the word ‘together.’

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:2–3, italics mine.)

The first believers experienced this ‘togetherness’ as Jesus was mocked and crucified. They wrote about it and then about their prayer to God concerning this opposition:

“ . . . for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:27–30)

This passage encourages me because these two men who united to destroy Jesus were doing it according to the plan of God. He was not thwarted by them taking counsel against the Son of God. God was sovereign over their plan and using it to fulfill His plan. The psalmist knew this and could say:

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:4–12)

And the NT believers could ask for boldness because they knew the power of God. He could heal, perform signs and wonders, but most of all, He saves those who take refuge in Him and pours out wrath on those who refuse to trust Him.

APPLY: Sin would destroy us all if God had not intervened. Because of His grace, I can boldly declare the Word of God and even laugh at the opposition, no matter how united they are to destroy the people of God. It cannot be done. I have eternal life and because of God’s grace and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, no one can take that away from me or take me from His gracious love. Today, I need to praise God for His power and continue to declare to others that He is Lord.

To Live is Christ — dare to be a Daniel

Yesterday’s Canada Day celebrations seemed to show more patriotism than ever before. Maybe this is because we are realizing how fortunate we are to live here. While this is not “heaven,” it is one of the most favorable countries in the world. We have a stable government and relative prosperity. We are not in bondage nor do we need to fear our political leaders.

This was not so for Daniel, a prophet of the Old Testament. He was one of the thousands of Israelites who had been taken captive by Babylon and exported to live in that foreign land. While they were not abused, they were in bondage under powerful and power-hungry kings.

Part of his story reveals that Daniel was the only one in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar who could save the lives of all of the king’s “wise men.” This king demanded that they interpret his dream, but he would not tell them its content. When word came to Daniel, he asked the king for time, enlisted the prayers of his friends, and experienced a vision in the night where God revealed the dream and its meaning to him. Instead of rushing to the king, his priority was praise and thanksgiving. 

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand. (Daniel 2:20–23)

Daniel’s praise is directly related to God’s revelation. He is thanking God for showing him the dream and its meaning, but also for the power of God revealed by the content of the interpretation. That is, the dream was about the kings and kingdoms that would come after Nebuchadnezzar. In this prayer, Daniel acknowledged that God is in charge of politics.

This would come as a real shock, even an insult to many modern politicians. To many average folks, their posturing and maneuvering for power is comical at best, and distressing. I’m dismayed at the sandbox level of “me first” that goes on at local and national levels. Running a country cannot be easy, but that task should be the focus, not their petty competitions.

Yet despite the annoyance I sometimes feel about politicians and politics, Daniel offers an example to me. He knew who was ultimately in charge. God does not show up at the polls, but He removes some from office and raises up others. He also controls how long each is in leadership.

Throughout his life, the three kings who held him in their control discovered the power of God because Daniel would not back down or compromise. With this attitude, Daniel’s safety became an issue because of the lesser governors and leaders. As for the kings, they were powerful yet all three quaked in their royal boots when God showed Himself wise and mighty through Daniel’s life and actions. But their men didn’t respond that way. Instead, they hated Daniel and his friends and tried to destroy them.

Daniel remained true to God, no matter the cost and no matter the attempts to kill him and his friends. They declared that they would remain true to God even if He didn’t save them. As a result, their enemies wound up being eaten by lions or burned in the furnace instead.

My country is a democracy with relative freedom. Should God decide to change the political times and seasons here, my prayer is that I would be like Daniel and remember that God knows what He is doing. He takes care of all who trust in Him and deals with those who do not. My responsibility is to recognize the wisdom and power of God and make that known when given the opportunity.