Read Isaiah 14:24-27, James 4:13-15You've heard it a thousand times..."God has a plan." This is a truth continually taught in evangelical churches, but because we hear it so many times, it can often lose its meaning to us. If we were truly to grasp the fact that God has a sovereign plan for the world, and more specifically, our individual lives, we would never worry. We wouldn't fret when unexpected tragedy struck, we wouldn't fear the unknown future, and we wouldn't be anxious about things we can't control. Wouldn't that be a wonderful way to live your life?? This morning, as I was reading Isaiah, I was struck with an incredible passage on God's sovereignty, and I'd like to share these powerful verses with you.
Isaiah 14:24 states, "The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, 'Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.'" God has constructed plans that He fully intends to carry out. Nothing can thwart His sovereign will or change what He has set to take place. In verse 25 we see that He is specifically talking about an attack on Assyria, which is fulfilled later in Isaiah 37:21-38. Though He is speaking about Assyria's fate, is this not applicable to our own fates as well? Some people dislike the idea that God is sovereign and is bringing about His own plans on earth, but I find it overwhelmingly comforting. Who better to direct your life than the all-knowing, almighty, King of the universe? He can do a much better job of it than you or I can!
The following verse describes the Lord's hand as being stretched out and His plan devised. I love verse 27 which states, "For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" Those are powerful words. Man is no match for God. His way will ultimately succeed, and no one on earth can stop it. How silly we often are as we sit around making our own plans as if we were somehow in control. James gives us a much-needed reminder on this topic in James 4:13-15, which states, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'"
Is this the mentality you have? Are you trying desperately to be in control of your life and to make your own plans? I learned early on that making my own plans just doesn't work. God seems to always have something different in mind for me, and though it's normally not something I would have picked myself, it's always superior to my own plans. Let your heart be content and at rest as you wait for God to direct your steps according to His sovereign plan. Trust me, He knows what He's doing!!
