God Of Purpose

Read: Isaiah 46:9-11

Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. Isaiah 46:10

IN WORD

God leaves a lot up to human will. Again and again in His Word, He gives us conditions. “If you fully obey the LORD . . . you will experience all these blessings” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). “If my people . . . will humble themselves and pray . . . I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). The list could go on and on. He freely offers His goodness and grace, but a lot of things depend on how we receive them.

But God doesn’t leave everything in the hands of fickle human beings. He knows ahead of time how to accomplish His plans, and He will do it. Sure, He brings willing human beings into the process—He knows us, calls us, chooses us, and more—but there’s no risk of His overall plans and promises being left undone. We might miss out on something He offers, but He doesn’t miss out on anything He purposes. As we have seen, He does all that He pleases.

That’s why Christians panicking over the headlines makes no sense. Neither does anxiety over threats to our well-being. Those headlines and threats serve us well as a call to action—God never tells us to rest to the point of being passively uninvolved in His purposes—but they are not cause for alarm. We can be fully confident in His ability to direct the course of history and our own lives.

IN DEED

We are to work faithfully as though God’s instructions are our full responsibility, and rest completely as though the results are fully up to Him. That’s a hard balance for many of us—we tend to push too actively or relax too passively—but it’s a thoroughly biblical balance. Are we called to action? Yes. Are we called to restful trust? Yes. The former is what we do with our mouths, hands, and feet. The latter is what we do in our hearts—where we can be profoundly confident that God will do what He pleases.

ADDITIONAL READING: Exodus 14:14

Work as though everything depends on you; pray as though everything depends on God.

ANONYMOUS