Verse of the Week: “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” (Psalm 33:8-11)
Truth of the Week: God always does as He pleases. He is constantly accomplishing His purposes. There is never a moment where His plans and desires are thwarted or threatened. Even the evil that exists in the world, ultimately, is an instrument for the display of the glory of God.
One of the speakers at this years Desiring God conference, Dr. Julius Kim, spoke of God’s providence in both the affairs of the world and in our everyday lives. He shared three important truths to keep in mind, especially in the midst of heartache and hardship.
1) God is powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing perplexes Him, frustrates Him, or causes Him to wring His hands in worry or confusion. He is never weak or weary. He is always in absolute control with complete authority. His perfect strength and wisdom are continually at work to bring about the display of His glory for our everlasting good.
2) God is personal. He is intimately aware of every detail of our lives. No moment of our existence escapes His attention. He is never aloof, unaware, or uninvolved. He knows the number of hairs on our heads, He counts every tear that we cry, He sees every longing of our heart, and He supplies every breath that we breathe. Nothing about us is hidden from Him.
3) God is purposeful. There is nothing accidental or coincidental that occurs in our lives. Nothing that we experience is random or meaningless. Anything that touches our lives has first been “Father-filtered” – ordained by the hand of a God who has purposes for our lives that He is bringing about (Psalm 57:2).
Powerful – Personal – Purposeful. God is never just one without the others. He is always all three.
Powerful – Personal – Purposeful. Not only are these words delightful to lovers of alliteration, they are also precious promises capable of providing profound peace for persevering pilgrims as they ponder life’s pain, pressures, and perplexities. Sorry – I couldn’t resist!
Quote of the Week: “‘We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.’ The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. Everything has worked for good as yet: the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that he governs wisely, that he brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, ‘Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from thee; never came there an ill portion from thy table to any of thy children.” (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening)
