Is God involved in human affairs? (Ps 33:10-22)

The first part of this psalm was focused on God’s character and His work of creation (see my post Why should we praise God?), the second treats His involvement in human affairs. But is God really in charge of history? A nation may unjustly attack another, and God does not stop it. On a more personal level, some are enslaved, abused, cheated or even killed and godly people are not immune to such things, either. So, how are we to understand God’s involvement in our lives as individuals and communities? At first glance, God stopping anything nasty from happening sounds great. What a relief it would be if evil could never conquer! However, such a world would create fatalism in both the good and the bad. After all, what would it matter how we lived if God stopped us from causing harm and hurting others? We would be puppets on a string. On the other hand, if God is not involved at all, then we are free to act and what we do matters, but we might be driven to despair knowing that we are utterly alone in this world, and it all depends on us. That is a huge burden to bear.

The connection between God’s plan and human plans

The psalm offers a third way. Implicit in the statements that God’s plan will endure while the nations’ will be thwarted is the connection between the two. When human intentions do not serve God’s purposes they will be hindered (Ps 33:10-11). That does not mean that no bad thing will ever happen to us or that the Lord moves people like puppets on a string. Rather, God can use human intention to further His will. Thus, Babylon acted on its own initiative to punish Judah for their rebellion against it, but in God’s hands it became a tool to bring His people to their senses and eventually renew them. Most supremely, in the story of the cross, evil people and ultimately Satan tried to destroy God’s Son, but their actions ended up furthering His plan of salvation. So, in a surprising way, people are free to act but God is ultimately in control. This way, our actions matter, but we are not alone.

God sees, knows and understands all

How we assess good and bad will look different from how God sees things and that is why the psalm explains that God knows exactly what is going on among people, what is in their hearts and what they intend (Ps 33:13-15). He knows what we need, so whatever touches our lives will be used to further God’s purposes. Neither will any human action take Him by surprise so that He would not know how to stop it or what to do. While people may think that it is their mighty army or human strength or cleverness that achieved what they set out to do, it is not (Ps 33:16-17). God is in control and He can upend human expectations about how things will turn out. If He wills, the weak will overcome the strong when God is on their side.

Trusting in God’s love that never fails

Nevertheless, He can also weave into the pattern of our lives the difficult things that others do to us. As Paul says in that much-loved verse, ‘God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God’ (Rom 8:28). However, not reading the verse to its conclusion, we tend to have in mind a general kind of ‘good’ (like it will all turn out well in the end). However, the verse connects our good to God’s purposes that we were called to, and the next verse explains what that purpose is, namely, that we might become conformed to His Son’s image (Rom 8:29). In other words, our life circumstances shape us into becoming more like Jesus and whatever fits into that plan, God will allow even if it is painful. Still, it is not wrong to hope for rescue from life-threatening situations or deprivation (Ps 33:18-19), to pray for healing from illness and deliverance from tight spots. God hears our cries and knows our limits; He is truly a help and a shield (Ps 33:20). Ultimately, whatever circumstances come our way, our trust is in His character as unfailingly loving and trustworthy. He will not fail us.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with others.