“For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”  – Isaiah 14:27 KJV2000

“Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?” – Lamentations 3:37 NIV

“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21 NIV

“Everything on earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission.” – Mourning Dove

The past few days I spent some time with family that required some overnight travel.  As we were getting ready to leave the hotel in the morning, my eyes glanced over to the bedside table, and I happened to see a Gideon Bible that was hidden on a lower shelf.

What instantly came to mind was to open it randomly and get a “rhema word” from God.  I simply opened the Scriptures and looked at the first verse that popped out on that page.  It was the verse I listed on the top of this article from the book of Isaiah.

That entire day, things would arise and we would go back to that verse and say, “The Lord has purposed it – who will annul it?”

What struck me is how often the verse applied to the immediate circumstances we faced and how much comfort and assurance it provided.  It reminded me of how often in life we dismiss this truth or forget about it entirely.

You might be thinking:

• “My life is spinning out of control.  I can’t believe God has purposed what is unfolding right now!”
• “I have made so many poor choices the last few years.  The hardships I face currently are my own doing and simply consequences I have brought about myself based on those poor choices.  God isn’t involved in any of this.”
• “All of my problems are a result of what other people have done to me.  Do you mean to tell me that God just looked the other way as this person hurt me?”
• “I believe my free will and choices are within my control alone.  God will not step in and override anything I decide to do on my own.”

If any of these scenarios fit your current line of thinking about God’s purposes, your free will and self-determined choices, and how those things interact with each other, take some time to consider the following:

The Over-Arching and All-Encompassing Aspect of God’s Sovereign Purposes

Anything that happens within our lives, including personal choices, the choices and reactions of others, or circumstances and events that transpire outside of our control, must reside within the sphere of God’s influence or allowance.

Take out a piece of paper and write down what is currently unfolding within your life.  Write down an event or circumstance, the choices you are making within those circumstances, and even the choices of others that seem to dictate or drive the outcome of whatever you face.  Now draw a circle around what you have written down.  This circle symbolizes God’s sphere of control and the boundary of His purposes that ALL THINGS must rest within.

The Scriptures say His kingdom “rules over all” (Psalm 103:19).  Not some things, or things that aren’t directly controlled by you, or not over the choices of others, but “rules over ALL.” 

In 1 Chronicles 29:11 the Scriptures declare, “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.”

God is never aloof, indifferent, or happenstantial.  He isn’t partially or selectively involved.  He rules with intention, holiness, righteousness, and purpose.  The Scriptures also tell us that “the course of my life is in your power” (Psalm 31:15 CSB), and that God has recorded every event of our lives “before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16 NIV)

Not one of your personal choices, either good or bad, is a surprise to God.  The poor choices of others never catch Him off guard.  No event, circumstance, or situation occurs outside of His sphere of influence and purpose.  If it is unfolding, then God is aware and God is allowing it.  If He is allowing it, especially if it is negative, hurtful, or full of evil, then He ultimately has a purpose behind it – a purpose that in the end is holy, just, merciful, and loving.

This may seem to nullify or diminish personal choice or individual accountability, but that is far from the case.  Each of us has the power to choose an outcome, a direction, or where we get involved or where we don’t, but those choices are never made outside of God’s intended purposes or His ultimate control over people and the events of life.  Knowing this, we need to hold and make our choices with reverence – aligning them with God’s principles for living.

If you take time and sit quietly thinking about this concept, you will acquire a level of peace like you have never experienced before my friend.  If God has purposed it, then who can annul it?

That broken relationship has a purpose behind it – a loving intention for the reason it is being allowed to unfold currently as it is.  Those hurtful words you spoke and the poor choices you made surrounding them, God has purposed it – bringing it to your attention with loving conviction so you can rectify it, learn from it, and make better choices in the future.

The sickness has been allowed for purposes we can’t understand, but it is unfolding inside of God’s sphere of control and intention – never occurring randomly or indiscriminately.  The financial hardship, the business loss, or the job that has been eliminated are being allowed to unfold – even if they are a result of poor choices or have been brought about by the greed and deception of others.  A just, holy, purposeful God has an intention behind it unfolding in the way it has.

Can you see my friend how embracing this spiritual principle builds faith, increases our levels of trust, and steers us toward understanding and aligning our life with God’s principles?

Today, rest in the knowledge that God’s sphere of influence is surrounding all that is unfolding in your life right now.  His good purposes, His loving intentions, and His just character are in control of all things.  His reign and His rule are both now and forever 😊

Praise God …. For who will annul it?