Psalm 33:7-8 speaks of how it is God who gathers the waters in a heap, before whom all the peoples should stand in awe. That same Psalm then immediately goes on to point out the limited nature of the plans which we make. Verse 10 says: “The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.”

We have seen this in a concrete fashion this very day, as so many of us here in Southwest Louisiana had plans this Wednesday for our schools, churches, and businesses — and yet those very plans have been cancelled or postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Isaac. We had made our plans, but with a very little effort on His part, the God who controls the winds nullified them all!

This should serve as a very fresh reminder of how dependent we are upon God, and how humble we should be about our “plans” and schemes. As James reminds us in Chapter 4:15, “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live, and also do this or that.’”

It is instructive that it is in this context that we find the famous 12th verse of Psalm 33: “How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” We are blessed if our trust is in the One Who sits enthroned over the universe, and whose plans, unlike ours, are never frustrated.