Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
What to Do When God’s Plan Is Unclear
A couple years ago I wanted to build a kennel for the 2 dogs I had at the time. Luckily, I have a resourceful uncle who found a free crib and parts of an old bunkbed I could repurpose. The creative juices started flowing and before long I had an idea of exactly how I wanted all those parts to fit together.
I was also blessed to have a friend with a woodworking shop in his garage. Mark is a great carpenter and was so gracious not only to let me use his shop but also to lend a hand. Bless his heart, Mark tried his level best to understand my vision for the project – the plans that I scribbled out on a piece of scrap paper – but he just couldn’t see it. Every time I would explain the kind of cut we needed or the hardware I wanted to use, he’d pause and ask, “Are you sure?”
It wasn’t until the project was all over and the kennel was finished that Mark admitted, “You know, I did not know what you were trying to do, but now that I see it, it all makes sense.”
Isn’t that how it goes? We don’t always know the purpose for something until the end. We can’t always make sense of the plan until it’s been accomplished. When we’re caught in the middle of something, it can look like a jumbled mess, but when it all comes together you can see the method behind the madness.
One great example from Scripture is Moses. Do you remember him? He was the guy God chose to lead the Israelites out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery there. Now, Moses wasn’t keen on the idea of standing in front of Pharaoh in the first place; it took a lot of convincing to get him to go at all. But then, when Moses finally went and stood before Pharaoh and demanded that he let God’s people go, do you know what happened? Pharaoh said, “No.” And not only that, Pharaoh doubled their work. He made their lives even more miserable than they had been before.
Can you imagine being Moses at a moment like that? “Why did you send me down to Egypt at all, God? You just made matters worse! I don’t understand how this can possibly be part of your plan.”
But what Moses didn’t understand at that moment was that God was using Pharaoh’s rejection as a way to demonstrate God’s power. Pharaoh represented the greatest superpower in the world. Pharaoh could say no all he wanted, he could double/triple/quadruple the Israelites’ work, he could chase them down with all the chariots in his army, but he couldn’t stop God from saving his people and for the rest of human history people would tell that story of God’s faithfulness and power.
Moses couldn’t see it at the time, but even this moment of pain and confusion was all part of God’s plan and purpose.
Do you feel like Moses sometimes? Is God’s plan and his purpose for your life obvious to you, or do you struggle to understand how the things that are happening can possibly be from God?
It’s not even just about the virus anymore. This global pandemic has pitted people against each other. We are divided, not only physically but also philosophically, e.g. grumbling about governmental decisions, whether they’re too strict or too loose; balancing a concern for the health of our loved ones with our concern for the wellbeing of our society. It’s messy and complex. It causes division and uncertainty.
Like Moses we might be tempted to cry out, “Why would you allow any of this to happen, God? It’s worse than ever before! I don’t understand how any of this can possibly be part of your plan.”
To which Paul joyfully replies: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Now maybe this dates me, but honestly when I read these words, I can’t help but picture Scrooge McDuck diving into his bank vault of gold. He has so much money, it’s hard for us even to imagine how much wealth that is.
That’s the image that Paul uses to describe God’s wisdom. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! It’s not just that God is smarter than your average bear. It’s not just that he has good ideas every once in a while. He is overflowing with wisdom and knowledge. He knows more than Wikipedia. He’s smarter than a rocket surgeon. He knows so much more than we could ever fit between our ears. And, I have to tell you, that ought to be music to our ears!
Moses had no idea what God was up to when he sent him to Egypt only to get rejected by Pharaoh. But what happened? Pharaoh and the bulk of his army ended up buried in the waters of the Red Sea, while Moses and all the Israelites walked away scot free. And for the rest of human history people would tell that story of God’s power and his love.
The Bible is full of stories like that, where it seems like God’s plan is failing, but by the end we see the point. And that’s no truer than when we talk about our own salvation.
For weeks now we’ve been talking about the Christian faith, one word at a time. We’ve discussed concepts like atonement and reconciliation and righteousness. At every turn, we’re forced to admit that this world is not worth saving, i.e. that we are not worth saving, but the irrational thing is that God loved us anyway. It’s not the “smart” thing to do. Sinners will keep sinning even after we’ve been forgiven. We battle with our sinful natures every day, but God’s judgments are unsearchable and his paths beyond tracing out. He loves sinners so much that he sent his Son to save us.
Talk about not making sense! Jesus was the perfect Son! He had never done anything wrong. He always did everything he was supposed to do. He even walked in this world, breathed this same air, struggled with the same frustrations and pains and temptations that you do, but unlike you, Jesus rose above them all. He was perfect in every way. So, what did God do out of the depth of the riches of his wisdom and knowledge? He sacrificed his Son on a cross.
For a moment, it had seemed like the most foolish thing. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. We’re the ones who should be punished for what we do wrong, not him. If Jesus couldn’t even survive this world, what hope do the rest of us have? For a moment it seemed like Jesus was defeated, that God’s plans had failed, and the devil had won.
But then Jesus burst from the grave on Easter Sunday and announced to the world what God had been trying to get through our thick skulls all along. Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary to pay the price for our sin. And now Jesus’ resurrection is the promise that we will live with him. Sinners forgiven. Foolish human beings brought into the grand plan of God and promised eternal life through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Now we know what the end goal is. Now we know the completion of God’s plans for us. We know it ends in heaven.
What we don’t know – well, that list is a whole lot longer, isn’t it? We don’t know the plan or purpose of a pandemic. We don’t know why a family member might be diagnosed with cancer. We don’t understand how God can use the often foolish decisions of sinful humans to accomplish his will. But Paul reminds us:
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
God doesn’t need our advice to get the job done. His wisdom and his knowledge far exceed our own. Our God is so much wiser than we are, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it. I want a God I can’t understand, because my most brilliant plans and my most well-thought-out purpose don’t always pan out, but his do. And God’s plans for you are so much greater. His purpose is nothing short of eternal life with him forever in heaven.
That’s why he made you. That’s why he sustains you even now. That’s why you will be giving glory to his name for ever and ever. That’s the truth that Paul wants you to walk away with today. We can’t always understand our God – and that’s OK! – but we can always praise him for his goodness and love. We can trust his plan of salvation and rejoice that it includes people like you and me, and anyone who believes. Some things are beyond our grasp, but nothing is beyond God’s. For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.