The Sovereign Lord's Plans Stand Forever

Psalm 33:10–15 NKJV

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 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 He has chosen as His own inheritance. 13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.

The Soveriegn Lord’s Plans Stand Forever

Let’s put the two key verses from this psalm in front of us. Notice the words “counsel” and “plans.”

The Plans of Men and the Plans of God

Psalm 33:10–11 NKJV

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.

The point of these verses is that both men and God take counsel and both plan.

But in the end it is not the counsel and plans of men that are established, but of God’s.

It is all-important to realize that God plans the world and he plans churches and he plans lives—and his plans succeed. His plans take precedence over our plans.

James 4:13–15 NKJV

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

So according to revealed scripture how does all this mean? Let me take just a few moments to unpack this for us.

God’s will and the human will

We need to understand some very important truths.

God’s will overrules human wills

Proverbs 19:21 NKJV

21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

Psalm 33:10–11 NKJV

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.

Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

God’s will overrides the desires of the wicked

Genesis 50:20 NKJV

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

God’s will can harmonise with human wills

Psalm 37:4 NKJV

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

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Psalm 145:19 NKJV

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

The main point of all this is that...

God’s will is sovereign

Now what does that mean exactly...

Over all things

Ephesians 1:11 NKJV

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Over creation

Matthew 10:29 NKJV

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

Over evil

Genesis 45:8 NKJV

8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Over the gospel

Micah 7:18 NKJV

18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.

1 Corinthians 1:21 NKJV

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

In the church

1 Corinthians 12:11 NKJV

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Philippians 2:13 NKJV

13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

So in conclusion what should our proper responses to God’s Sovereign plans and will be.

Proper responses to God’s will

Discovering God’s will

Ephesians 5:17 NKJV

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Obeying God’s will

Matthew 7:21 NKJV

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Matthew 12:50 NKJV

50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Ephesians 6:6 NKJV

6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Praying for God’s will

Matthew 6:10 NKJV

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Psalm 143:10 NKJV

10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Making radical changes to do God’s will

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

1 Peter 4:2 NKJV

2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

1 John 2:15–17 NKJV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.