In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
Ephesians 1:11 (ESV)
This verse reminds me that everything happening to me is in God’s design. He is working all things after the counsel of His own will: meaning He is executing His fixed purpose and He is achieving that purpose through the incredible wisdom and power of His sovereign will.
Have you noticed that God’s design sometimes causes individuals to bear uncomfortable and even painful circumstances in accomplishing His perfect will? There have been memorable times in my life when I could not track with God because I found His design to be elusive and undefined—causing me to struggle in acquiescing to His wisdom.
So, it was recently, when I experienced a tangle in my spirit over a decision by a member of my family. What was happening? What could be a possible outcome that would honor Him and accomplish His will? Like other difficult times in my life, as a child of God I eventually came to the only viable conclusion—that I am but a humble subject in God’s Kingdom where He is accomplishing something far greater than my finite mind can comprehend.
In tracking with God in this way—He then revealed more to me of His ultimate plan and purpose for my family member. And what He revealed was amazing and beyond anything that I could have imagined! Of course, He does the unexpected! He is the infinite God Almighty!
Not only is God executing His fixed purpose in my life today, but He also has promised to achieve that purpose in my life in the future, as well. This verse says I have been given a down payment as a pledge—with the full payment to be given when Jesus returns to the earth. This down payment is the Holy Spirit. His indwelling presence is a guarantee that God will consummate all His promises to me when the proper time arrives.
I place my life and my heart in Your hands. Reign over me, my family, and the Valley of the Sun—and achieve Your fixed purpose by the wisdom and power of Your sovereign will.