Psalm 33:6-12 - "The Counsel of the LORD"

"The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations." Where should we go for help with decisions and difficulties of life? Where do you go to get help or counsel to take care of something that is broken and needs fixing? When my heating system quit working here in the middle of the winter, first I was thankful for some warm days. But fixing it was beyond my ability, so I went to the “experts” in the HVAC world. They immediately saw what the problem was and were able to repair the system.  It was an expensive fix (over $1,100), but of course it was well worth it to have it working properly! My friend, when your life is broken and you are facing major or even minor decisions and you don’t know what to do, you can always go to the One Who knows best and that is the LORD! The biggest decision you will actually make is who you are going to trust to give you the best counsel! And really you only have two choices. You can either trust the world and its ungodly counsel or you can trust the LORD and His Word to get “godly” wisdom and guidance! Remember the very first Psalm? “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly… but his delight is in the Law of the LORD and in His Law he meditates day and night…” (Psalm 1:1-3). There is no one who knows more about life than the One Who created it, and that’s the LORD! Psalm 33 is a call to worship the LORD and it is very difficult to worship when you are disturbed, discouraged, depressed and emotionally distraught about things and life in general. That is why the Psalmist here is encouraging us to make sure we go to the LORD for our counsel. Because, “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.” This reminds me of 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” We worship and praise the LORD for His wonderful goodness and character, for His majestic creation, for His marvelous works, and for His powerful Word, but we must also thank and praise the LORD for the wisdom of His counsel (vv. 10-11). People with authority make decisions that affect the destinies of nations, and when God isn't permitted to rule, then He overrules; for His will shall be accomplished. He can turn the policies and plans of a nation into nothingness (Isa. 8:10; 19:3). The will of God for His children comes from the heart of God and is an expression of His love for them, so there is no cause for us to be alarmed or afraid (Jer. 29:11). What a privilege it is for Israel to be the people of God and the Lord's treasured inheritance (v. 12; and Ps. 28:9; 74:2; 78:62, 71; Deut. 4:20; 32:9). Today as His church we are His inheritance and the sheep of His pasture! When you are daily in His Word, and His Word is alive and working in you, and you are being cleansed by His Word and by confession of your sins, His counsel will always lead you in the right way. A couple of my favorite verses in Proverbs are: “A man makes his plans, but the LORD directs his steps….” “Man’s goings are of the LORD, how then can a man understand his own way…” My friend, you can absolutely trust the LORD to give you the best counsel for every decision and difficulty you are facing in your life today! (Proverbs 3:5-6) God bless!