“The best-laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry. and leave us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!” so wrote the Scottish poet, Robert Burns (quote is modernised).
Don’t we all know this? A single phone call, one short email, or a bad, bad morning and any illusion that we’re in control of our lives is soon shattered – leaving us frustrated, hurt and disappointed.
But our Creator-God is not like us. He has only ever had one plan. It never changes. It encapsulates everything that has happened or ever will happen in your life and mine, down to the smallest detail. Nothing and no one can resist the power and purposes of history’s Grand Master.
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
The Apostle Paul, The Letter To the Romans, Chapter 11 Verse 36
So where does this leave us? Are we little more than pre-programmed robots – unable to make real choices and so not accountable for our actions? The Bible says emphatically no, we do make real choices and will have to answer for our actions, words and thoughts. Yet the choices we make fulfill the irresistible, eternal plan of God.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…
Joseph speaking to his brothers, Genesis, Chapter 50 Verse 20
How does this all fit together? While God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are displayed on every page of the Bible, we still struggle to reconcile the two. Yet it should come as no surprise that there are some things which our finite minds cannot understand. We are, after all, dealing with the ways of an eternal, infinite Being. And when it comes to life’s big questions, just because we cannot fully understand does not stop the answers from being true.
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?
The Book of Numbers, Chapter 23 Verse 19
Your Creator isn’t making it up as He goes along. His eternal, irrepressible plan stands at the heart of the Christian hope. Because He is in absolute control and will not change His plans – we can trust His promises to us.
Your thoughts are welcome! Please feel free to leave some feedback, questions or disagreements.
Yours Truthfully 