Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of the unstoppable God. When God makes plans, He carries out His plans.
Man does not have the wisdom to stop God’s plans. “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). These three words (wisdom, understanding, counsel) work together to cover any potential angle of how smart man might think he is. Man cannot skillfully think up a better solution through his wit or experience (wisdom). Man cannot naturally devise a better solution through his discretion or reason (understanding). Man cannot corporately plan a better solution through advice or collaboration (counsel).
The bottom line is that God’s wisdom exceeds anything that man can come up with. God doesn’t have to work at wisdom. He doesn’t have to consult history. He doesn’t have to ask anyone else. God knows. Society today is plagued by cyberattacks, in which devious men find ways to infiltrate even the most secure systems. But there is no such success when it comes to God’s plans. Men can try as hard as they want, with the best intelligence that they have, to plan something that will overthrow what God has determined – but man will never win.
Man also does not have the power to stop God’s plans. “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31). Man can make the most thorough preparations and battle plans, thinking he can overpower or reverse what God has determined. Man will never win that one, either.
I think this verse is perhaps ambiguous on purpose. Who is preparing the horse? If verse 31 is connected to verse 30, the preparation is done by the enemy of God. The conclusion is that all of that man’s efforts are vain and insufficient. As servants of God, we can rest assured that man’s attacks against us are no match for God’s ability to protect us.
It is also possible that the preparing is done by God’s servants. They make themselves as ready as they can for what they might face. They take appropriate measures to avoid risk and to allow the maximum hope of success. It certainly is wise to see the danger ahead and to prepare. But the bottom line is that our own preparations are not what ultimately protect us. When we are kept safe, it is because God kept us safe.
Either way, the conclusion is the same. We don’t have to fear man, nor do we need to fear that our own preparations are too feeble. We can confidently trust that God is the one who watches over us. In spite of others or in spite of ourselves, God is in control.
If no one is wise enough or strong enough to stop God’s plans, then we can walk forward in our service for Him, knowing that He will accomplish all that He has intended.
May God protect you and prosper His plans in your lives and ministries. There is much activity in this month of December, and the success in that activity will come from our unstoppable God.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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