One aspect of the mystery of God's sovereign will is how the
calculated evil of men is not only permitted, but actually becomes a necessary
part of the divine plan. We are tempted to think of the wrongs done to us as
hindrances, frustrations, interruptions. "What has this got to do with the
will of God?" we ask, irritated and, we suppose, justifiably impatient
with human interference. But the truth is that both our time and our way are in
God's hands--they are "appointed." Surely it is so for all his sons
as it was for the Son of Man. When He was on the verge of being "handed
over for crucifixion," and betrayed by one of his own disciples, He said,
"My appointed time is near....One who has dipped his hand into this bowl
with me will betray me. The Son of Man is going the way appointed for him"
(Mt 26:18, 24 NEB).
Out of the deepest depths of human evil the good God brought
salvation--the very salvation of man whose sinfulness killed the Son He sent.
Nothing can reach us, from any source in earth or hell, no
matter how evil, which God cannot turn to his own redemptive purpose. Let us be
glad that the way is not a game of chance, a mere roll of dice which determines
our fortune or calamity--it is a way appointed, and it is appointed for God's
eternal glory and our final good.
by Elisabeth Elliott
Daily devotions courtesy of Devotions.org, a ministry of
Back to the Bible.
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