We’re not big enough, powerful enough, or crafty enough to derail God’s plan for our life.
I used that word … crafty … on purpose. In Genesis, the serpent is described as being “more crafty” than the other created beings. What that word really means is that he was capable of anything. When sin entered the world, we gained the unfortunate ability to be just as manipulative.
But there’s no manipulating God. It won’t work. Trust me, I’ve tried.
So no, we aren’t capable of ruining God’s plan. But can we delay it? Possibly. I think we see that with Israelites for whom an eleven day journey turned into a forty year wandering.
But here’s the thing: even the delay had a purpose. Somehow, God is uniquely able to both forget and remember. For those who are washed by the blood of Jesus, God is willing to forget every sin. And yet the same God is faithful to remember His covenant with us. Faithful to remember His word to us. Faithful to see it through to completion.
Recently, I read something in Deuteronomy that struck me. In the midst of God’s instructions to the Israelites, we see these two scenarios described. Take a look:
There’s no manipulating God. It won’t work.
14 “You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.’ 15 If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.
16 “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ 17 The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
Deuteronomy 17:14-16
God is uniquely able to both forget and remember.
I’m curious – did this inspire any thoughts of any specific biblical accounts? I immediately thought about King Saul, and then King Solomon.
“You may think, ‘we should select a king…’” Saul was Israel’s first king, and when they asked God for an earthly king (over and over and over), they weren’t satisfied with His commitment to be their king. They wanted someone they could see. Perhaps someone whose presence wouldn’t kill them when they stood before him.
But this wouldn’t happen for quite some time. We’re in Deuteronomy – Saul won’t be chosen to be king for like four more books! But God knew. And He had a plan for their future demands.
Then you get to verse 17 about not taking many wives… Solomon totally took too many wives. Like 699 too many. And what was the result? They turned his heart away from God. And that wouldn’t happen until 1 Kings – six whole books later. But God knew. And God had a plan.
He’s God. Whatever it is that weighs on your heart and your mind today – on my heart and mind – there’s a plan for that too.
Because while the Israelites were living in Deuteronomy, God was existing outside of time. They were wandering in the desert while He was preparing the details for our lives in 2024. It’s not too much for Him. He doesn’t need a personal assistant to keep all the details straight. Pretty sure there’s not a bunch post-its laying around heaven with His daily tasks and to-do lists waiting to be checked off.
He’s God. Whatever it is that weighs on your heart and your mind today – on my heart and mind – there’s a plan for that too. What if all this heavy and hard stuff is here just to prove what He’s been saying all along: nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is outside of His grasp.
I can’t comprehend it, but I believe it.
We want to outrun the competition. He wants to finish the race.
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