“The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand . . . For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:24, 27, ESV)
In life, we run into much opposition. It seems at times that we just run into brick walls as we pursue our goals and dreams in life. While this opposition tends to dampen our spirit at times, it does something to us that is much more subtle. It can affect our faith. In other words, we can become insecure in our view of the promises and plans of God. The problem here is that we confuse the plans that the Lord has for us with our own plans. Isaiah gives us the guarantee that the Lord will do exactly what he plans, and no one can oppose Him.
Isaiah recorded these verses in context with a prophesy against Assyria. He stated that the Lord would “break the Assyrian” (Isaiah 14:25, ESV). As you recall, Assyria had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Then Assyria became a threat to Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Under the command of Sennacherib, Assyria began a siege of Judah and Jerusalem. Most theologians believe the Lord fulfilled this prophecy in 701BC when the Assyrian army under Sennacherib experienced their defeat, failing to take the capital of Jerusalem. Moreover, in 609BC, Assyria fell to the Babylonians.
This verse presents a universal precept. No one can stop the plans and purposes of the Lord. The fulfillment of prophesy is the attestation of this verse. We find thousands of fulfilled prophesies in the Scriptures. We also see the presentation of the plans of God in the Scriptures. These are plans and purposes that give hope to those that believe.
These purposes include working in the lives of believers to cause us to be brought into conformity with the image of the Lord (Romans 8:28-29).
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28–29, ESV)
He has many precious promises for His followers, which include His provision, presence, protection, etc. He guarantees us a future place in heaven. He promises to return and establish an earthly kingdom in which we will reign with Him. We have the assurance of our omnipotent God that these and many other things that He has purposed will happen. There are no forces, in heaven or on earth that can alter God’s plans and purposes. This is a great assurance for us, for He has included us in His great plan for the future.
Renewing the Heart 