Why Your Plans Will Never Get in the Way of What God is Doing
God has decreed all things that come to pass. They are eternally decreed, and God’s decree, like God, is immutable. Our unchanging God has willed everything in your life, as well as everything in everyone’s life. This is what it means when we say, “God is sovereign.” His will is sovereign. His decree is sovereign. His election is sovereign. His reprobation is sovereign. His grace is sovereign. Obviously, it is an insult to call God, “Big,” for He is infinite, so I will refrain from furthering the list of sovereign attributes. The point: God sits in the heavens and He does as He pleases (Ps 115:3; 135:6).
Man is self-centered, and this makes man’s theology self-centered. This is why we call man’s view of God, “man-centered theology.” Pride-filled man is always claiming that God is reacting to him, “I made my decision for Jesus,” is a typical statement exposing man’s obsession with himself. It is practically impossible for men to see their theological fallacy because they are too busy focused on how they are going to save the city for Jesus. “My decision, My plans, My church, My ministry,” and then comes the bizarre boast, “Its all about Jesus!”
If God desires for a man to do anything, that man will do it. He may boast, “God could never save me through Facebook memes, posted by those foolish Christians.” God’s will for a man’s repentance is entirely up to God (Jn 1:12–13; Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25). Man’s plans are nothing to God, unless they are from God. Man plans his way, and those plans may lead him straight to hell, but it is not as if God had not decreed that man’s reprobation. Even the son of perdition, Judas Iscariot, was prophesied about repeatedly in the Old Testament. His plans, or what he thought were his plans, were perfectly ordered and enacted in God’s providence.
When will men see how ludicrous chance, luck, odds, probabilities, accidents, etc. are in the face of absolute sovereignty? The grass grows, the sparrow falls from the sky, and the fig tree does not bear fruit. These are all from God, fulfilling His eternal purpose (Eph 1:11; 3:11).
The reason nothing can separate God’s elect from His love in Christ Jesus, is because God’s works are as sovereign as His plans (Rom 8:35–39). The lot is cast in the lap, but every decision is from the Lord (Prv 16:33).
Man congratulates himself on years of service for the company. He boasts in his prosperity, and the fact he still holds the high score at the local bowling alley. His interest is not in God, but he is sure of his self-determination, “I will go to this town, and that town, and do business (Jas 4:15).” O man! Who has bewitched you with the magnificent obsession of yourself? Give credit and glory to God…in everything.
Finally, we must scrutinize the language we use in talking about God, and this will allay one’s fears that one’s plans have posed a problem for God. We never, “let go and let God.” In fact, no one ever “let” God do anything. We simply are not in the business of permitting God to do what He already intends to do. Frankly, it is simply arrogant for man to imply, let alone express, “God wants..,” as in “God wants to save you, if you would only make the decision to let him.” Could there be any more blasphemous utterance than that one?
Still, man presses on in pride, oblivious to what he is saying about God. Who can deliver such a man from himself? Ah, Christian, come let us reason…were we not just like this self-centered man? God is able to make all grace abound toward such a man, if He, God, has planned it. And if God has planned, He will do it.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
September 22, 2021
