The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. Psalm 33:10

It’s easy with around-the-clock news and information to become concerned (and even troubled) about the world and the problems that nations have. We are bombarded with images and video footage of nations at war with one another, natural disasters, violent rampages, and so on. For instance, as I write this Vladimir Putin is set to roll into Ukraine with very little opposition, North and South Korea are exchanging missiles, and Syria is experiencing major internal political chaos.

All three scenarios are very unstable and could “go south” at any moment. Those are the possible plans of those leaders. However, at any moment God could do something in those countries that would confound even the wisest of counselors. (Incidentally, I’m convinced it’s why the nation of Israel hasn’t been successfully attacked since its formation in 1948. Many have tried, but God foiled the plans of the nations).

Our takeaway from this is fairly simple and related to the previous two posts: God is in control of world affairs. He’s never stumped by situations nor is he surprised by them.