As men and women standing for marriage restoration, it’s SO important to understand and KNOW that God is going to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to bring His Word, will, plan and purpose to pass! We have GOD’S WORD on that in Isaiah 46:10-11, where He declared I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. And then in Isaiah 55:8-11, He declared “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. … As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Yet, as humans, even those who truly love and trust God, we tend to put God in a box and expect Him to operate within the confines of limitations WE or others have mistakenly and erroneously placed on Him. But as the above verses from Isaiah make undeniably clear, God is only bound by HIS Word, will, plan and purpose and NOT by our flawed and limited understanding of His thoughts and ways! Therefore, we’re just not able to fully comprehend and accept the ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY of God Almighty, and we often have a difficult time really understanding that there is NOTHING that God won’t use or do to perform and perfect His Word, will, plan and purpose; NOTHING!

I’ve repeatedly heard many well known and respected preachers say that God CAN’T have ANYTHING to do with Sin or wickedness, and that all bad things come from the devil; even things like Hurricane Katrina. But according to passages of scripture such as Job 37:10-13, such statements just aren’t true and are in fact contrary to what the Bible very specifically teaches, and there are many other Bible verses that prove that. One of the most obvious is Genesis 50:20 (NKJV), which says 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. And Genesis 45:5 (NKJV) says But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

When we study the life of Joseph, there’s no doubt that God orchestrated and used the wicked and evil acts done against Joseph by others, particularly those of his brothers and Pottifer’s wife, to bring about and prepare Joseph for what He had purposed and planned all along; as revealed by Joseph’s dream that he would one day rule over his older brothers (Genesis 37:4-11). And it’s important to note that none of that would have been possible if Joseph had remained at home, especially as the youngest son. So God used the jealousy and lies of others to cause Joseph to be in the right place at the right time and equipped and blessed him with the skills and favor needed for just such a time.

And when we read and study the story of Job and how God actually suggested that Satan “consider” Job and then GAVE HIM PERMISSION to destroy everything but his physical health (Job 1:7-22), it seems hard to reasonably conclude that NOTHING bad or destructive ever comes from God. Satan was obviously unable to steal, kill or destroy anything in Job’s life without God’s very explicit permission or approval, which is further confirmed and made abundantly clear in Job 2:2-10, where it’s obvious that Satan had to have God’s approval and permission before physically harming Job. So there’s little doubt that even Satan operates ONLY within the confines of God’s Word, will, plan and purpose.

And while 2 Chronicles 18 might be a pretty confounding passage of scripture, it really leaves absolutely NO DOUBT that God Almighty will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to bring about His Word, will, plan and purpose.

So as we stand for marriage restoration and face so many things that aren’t right or fair, and even things that are definitely wicked and evil and totally contrary to God’s Word, it’s very important for us to recognize that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING exists or happens in our lives beyond the complete and ABSOLUTE CONTROL of God Almighty! As John 1:3 declares; Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. And Hebrews 2:10 declares; In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Then Proverbs 21:30 declares; There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. And a word search for “thwart” in the Bible reveals that God can and does have the power and ability to thwart the plans of the wicked, so when it appears that their plans are succeeding, God must have a good purpose for it, or He would stop it. Therefore, God is allowing it and that’s something about God that we just can’t understand or comprehend; we don’t like to think of God allowing, much less causing anything evil or destructive. Fortunately, Romans 8:28 assures us that God has the power and authority to MAKE even evil and wicked things work together for good when we love Him and are called according to His purpose! And when we believe that and can NOT be shaken from that truth and all that it promises, we will be able to stand strong against everything that comes against us and the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families. That’s why 2 Corinthians 5:7 says We live by faith, not by sight. And Hebrews 10:38 warns But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” So no matter how bad, wrong, wicked, evil, hopeless or impossible things look, we have to put our hope and confidence in the knowledge we have that God will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to uphold, defend and perfect His Word, will, plan and purpose and that NOTHING will ever stop Him or stand against Him. So, as we’re reminded in Romans 8:31, … If God is for us, who can be against us?

Once we accept that God has absolute and sovereign control over EVERYTHING and that He will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to bring about His Word, will, plan and purpose, it’s important to understand what His ultimate will, plan and purpose is, as revealed in Ephesians 1:4-4:14; God’s sole motivation, pleasure and good purpose is to bring praise, honor and glory to His Son, Jesus Christ! So when we learn to look at every situation and circumstance we face with that in mind, and consider HOW Jesus can and will be magnified and glorified in and through anything and everything, we will finally be able to stand for our marriages and families with the peace, joy, strength and confidence, not to mention the victory Jesus died to make possible! And we have no greater example of God using evil to accomplish His Word, will, plan and purpose than the totally unjustified and unmerited death of our dear Savior on a cross. Likewise, we have no greater example of how God uses the wickedness and evil of this world to bring about His good and glorious plan and purpose than the salvation that terrible act made possible for all of us! YES, GOD USES AND DOES WHATEVER IT TAKES!!! So remember that and be blessed and encouraged, because no matter what “it” is, it’s all part of God’s perfect plan to perfect His Word, will, plan and purpose, and HE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES!

Posted Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 7:22 pm in Seeds Of Faith.