… according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
Summary: The opposite of a plan is worse than no plan at all. It is the willful interruption of a plan. God has a plan, and his enemy is constantly working to disrupt it.
In 1965 the TV show “Get Smart” premiered with Don Adams starring as the indomitable Maxwell Smart. The show was a parody of the successful “James Bond” secret agent movie franchise. Where Agent 007 was cool, suave, and competent in the movies, the TV version was completely the opposite. Max Smart was confused, incompetent, and overly reliant on the rule book. He was also extremely sincere and gullible.
The premise of the show was that Max Smart (Agent 86) worked for the “good guys” against the forces of evil. “Evil,” in the show, was represented by an organization named KAOS. Whatever was good, KAOS wanted the opposite, and it was Agent 86’s job to foil their evil plots.
So what is KAOS? A silly little play on words. In the real world, “chaos” is the opposite of order. Another way of saying the same thing might be that “chaos is the opposite of a plan.”
God, the creator of our world, sits outside of time and space. He sees us from an eternal perspective. To God, a thousand years is like a day (Psalm 90:4) so, a lifetime on earth is little more than a single “blip” on the radar screen of eternity. “Good” from God’s perspective is an eternity of good things in heaven rather than an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).
When Paul says that God has a plan and “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” he is referring to God’s eternal perspective. Yes, God is concerned with our time on this planet (Matthew 10:30), but the greater concern is eternity.
Like the “good guys” in TV and the movies, God has an enemy. God’s enemy is one of his own creations that rebelled and turned against his Creator. For whatever reason, the devil and his demons are hellbent on interrupting God’s plan and causing chaos in the world. Fortunately for us, God is up to the challenge. He will bring “unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). He has a plan, and everything will work out “in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
Application: Trust God. Trust the plan.
Food for Thought: How is it possible that God is able to work everything out the way he wants it to work out?
How is it possible that God is able to work everything out the way he wants it to work out?
Nothing is impossible with God. How is God able to create a universe?
Ah yes, answering a question with a question!
Good strategy! 🙂
Good response T. He did create the universe. Overseeing creation and sustaining it to work out His plan would be easy for Him.
Rich,
Thank you! Tim’s question does put things in perspective, doesn’t it?
Cause He’s awesome like that. 😛
I agree with T and R
Angela,
Yes he is! We truly have an awesome God!
02-19-2023, How is it possible that God is able to work everything out the way he wants it to work out?
Some years ago I finally stopped putting God in a box. I realized He is FAR, FAR beyond our ability to ever comprehend, and there simply is no box large enough to contain Him. God is Incomprehensible, Self-sufficient, Unchangeably, Omnipresent, All-powerful, Faithful, Good, Just, Merciful, Love, Holy, Sovereign and more.
He is all these attributes, all the time, as He has chosen to share His Holiness with beings who by the act of their free will, choose to serve Him, and has sent His Son to be our example as He paid the price for all sin. In addition to this He has done two things.
Romans 2:15 So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
John 16:8, When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.
Everything is working out as God wants it, within His will since creation, as His created beings exercise their individual free will. All mankind is choosing to receive of reject His will for their lives. One day, when all mankind has made their choice between good and evil, at a time He knows all hearts will turn to choosing evil over good, He will return and end all that exists as we know it.
God was not surprised when the most powerful, beautiful being of His creation, chose to reject, challenge God’s Holiness and was cast from His presence along with a third of the beings in Heaven.
God is not surprised when men like Abraham, David, Solomon, or harlots like Rahab, Mary Magdeline, and Gomer choose to turn to holiness over evil and become imperfect beings seeking life through serving our perfect God.
God seeks a Holy people to serve Him, and by allowing all to choose now, that is what He will have.
John 4:23, But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
Wow Ron!
Beautifully written! Thank you!
Great question. Interestingly, 10% of the worlds military budget would eliminate world poverty. Says a lot about our priorities!
Thanks Ron!
Interesting statistic. Sad, but interesting.