9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
The Psalmist has reminded us that it is appropriate and
right for man to praise God and to worship Him as the creator and sustainer of
all. As he goes on, the writer reminds us that the Lord is also in sovereign
control of all.
God’s sovereignty is not frustrated by nature, it’s not
thwarted by man who sins, it’s not impaired by nations or politics, and it’s
not diverted by the will of man. God is in total, absolute, careful, and
purposeful control of all things! This control is not strenuous or tiring for
God; He is utterly capable to do it; He does not need help. He does not need
extra strength or wisdom or love to perfectly accomplish His intentions. His
judgment is eternally perfect, for His sovereignty is powerful to oversee every
human being at the same time.
As we read and reflect on these verses, we have to be in awe
of the fact that our perfect, holy God would reveal Himself to us and love us
in such a meticulous way. Nothing can happen to us unless God permits and
ordains it, and it’s always exactly what is best for us. This truth should
drive us to penitent, submissive worship. Those who understand and believe these
truths are blessed. Israel
was blessed by being God’s chosen people, and we are blessed by being His
chosen children.
Are you taking the time to rehearse your life, like I am?
God was in total control through every day of sunshine, rain or storm that I
have ever gone through, and has loved me more than I could ever comprehend. God
is totally aware of every detail of my life right now, for nothing escapes Him
or surprises Him: it all fits into His perfect plan.
God knows every heart, every thought, every plan; in fact,
He knows exactly why we do everything we do. Are we trusting Him and resting in
these truths?
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Even the most powerful men, who think they are choosing
their destiny and controlling their lives, cannot do anything unless God allows
them to do it. I know that I am not a king, but many times I tend to live as if
I am ruling my life. The writer reminds us that this is certainly not so. We
tend to put our hope in our abilities and strength, or in the power of others,
and we forget that we are all totally dependent on what God does. Knowing, and
especially remembering, these truths, is so freeing. We need not worry, we must
not fret, but trust! Turbulent times, raging enemies, pain from our sin or the sin
of others is not the result of a society gone wild, but is entirely under His control.
Let’s not forget that there is a purpose in all that God
allows in our life.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
Our responsibility is to fear God, trust Him, and rest in
the Lord’s steadfast love. His love is perfect at all times, it has our best
interest in mind at all times, it’s never earned by our behavior or response,
it is eternally perfect!
Dear friends, God’s purposes are not always visible or clear
to us, but we must wait upon the Lord. When we are anxious, we are exposing our
lack of hope, when we are bitter, we expose our lack of belief, when we
complain, we expose our lack of trust, when we rebel, and we expose our lack of
submission. So what is God expecting our response to be?
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
The writer was so right when he said that we are blessed! Do
you remember our state before God came into our life?
Ephesians 2:12
…remember
that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel
Dear friends, we have a blessed hope! So we must worship God
with lives that expose the trust and gladness of heart we have, because we know
God!
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