Ephesians 1:11 NLT
[11]”Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes EVERYTHING work out ACCORDING to his PLAN.”
God’s story is fascinating! Written over millenia by many different authors, only God could have pre-wriiten His book and then made a living ‘movie’ of the script which follows the book to the letter.
Since God is omniscient, He saw the whole of history played out before it happened. So, through visions, dreams, and prophetic insights, He could tell His chosen prophets what would happen, in detail, before it happened, to forewarn and prepare them for coming events. Through prophecy and its fulfillment, He could also provide evidence that He is God by being able, accurately, to foretell the future.
Not only does He know how, when, and where history would unfold, but He can also guide people and events to do His will as He has decreed.
So, this means that He has the wisdom and power to tick all His boxes as they happen. This also means that God is never taken by surprise or out of options when stuff happens.
Isaiah’s prophecies, especially from chapter 40 onwards, give us many assurances of God’s foreknowledge and divine plans.
Isaiah 41:25-26 NLT
[25] “But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north. From the east he will call on my name. I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay. [26] “Who told you from the beginning that this would happen? Who predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one said a word!”
Isaiah 42:8-9 NLT
[8] “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. [9] Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
Isaiah 43:9, 11-12 NLT
[9] “Gather the nations together! Assemble the peoples of the world! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Which can predict what will happen tomorrow? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth?…
[11] I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. [12] First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord.”
So, we can go on through the book of Isaiah, chapter after chapter assuring the reader of God’s foreknowledge and control of history, matching history perfectly with the script.
What can we derive from these observations?
God’s Word is true.
We have the amazing witness of prophecy that reveals God’s wisdom and power to us. God ticks every box in His unfolding story, not one detail missing or out of place.
God’s word is trustworthy.
Scripture give us enough evidence of its trustworthiness from its records of the past that we can equally trust its predictions of the future and its promises for now and forever.
God has written the story of nations and individuals.
David wrote, with great confidence, about himself.
Psalms 139:16 NLT
[16] “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
Just as every detail of history is planned and executed to the letter, so it is with every person on earth. Before their birth and after their death, all is planned and done.
Revelation 20:11-13 NLT
[11]”And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. [12] I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. [13] The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.”
God’s word is practical.
John 8:31-32 NLT
[31]”Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The Bible is not a book of theories or theology. It’s a book of life, teaching and guiding us in God’s way.
He has set out His instructions for living through the lives and witness who wrote it down for those who followed them. Their experiences helped them to understand God’s ways so that they could urge others to follow them.
1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT
[1] “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
Psalms 119:105 NLT
[105]” Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
God’s word is powerful.
Jeremiah 23:29 NLT
[29] “Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?”
Hebrews 4:12 NLT
[12] “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
No other book has the power, not only to expose but also to change the heart and destiny of all who believe it.
1 Peter 1:23 NLT
[23]” For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.”
God’s word created and sustains everything.
Psalms 33:6 NLT
[6] “The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.”
Hebrews 1:2-3 NLT
[2] “And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. [3] The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”
So, dear brothers and sisters, ought we not to treasure, read and obey this Word? Through it, we are assured that God will tick our tiny boxes among all the boxes He is working on to complete His story.