At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
The Lord hath made all things for himself: Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Proverbs 16:4
We do live in clownworld times, and it is precisely during such times that we need a regular bracing dose of what might be called yellow cake Calvinism.
Of course, we thank the Lord for all the good things He bestows on us. We are not ungrateful for the pleasant things. When the lines fall for us in pleasant places, we thank the Lord (Ps. 16:6). When He grants us life and breath and good things, and we are supposed to be grateful (Acts 17:25). He gives wine to gladden the heart of man, and this is entirely a good thing (Ps. 104:15).
But what are Christians supposed to do in times of disintegration? What should our response be when all the wheels are apparently coming off? We need to remind ourselves that when things are apparently out of our control, this does not at all mean that God is losing His grip. And the worse things get, the more we need to be reminded. If disaster befalls a city, has not the Lord done it (Amos 3:6).
And this is the truth that this proverb reminds us of. The Lord did not just make some things for Himself. He made all things for Himself. God is determined to obtain glory from absolutely everything, even from the impudence of Pharaoh. God has made all things for Himself, even the wicked for the day of evil.
So as we find ourselves surrounded by days of evil, incompetence, spiritual stupidity, insolence, pride, malice, and hatred of God’s people, we should know that God has made all things for Himself—even this, and especially this.
When the kings of the earth appeared to have things all going their way, and they had the Christ arrested, within their power, and they could do absolutely anything they wanted to Him, they decided to put Him to death. And by doing that, they brought the reign of Satan down into shambles, and unwittingly arranged for your salvation and mine. If God can do something that marvelous with a deed as wicked as that, do you really think He is going to be stumped by our particular carnival of folly?
God’s people need simply to wait patiently, in order to see what the Lord is up to. Because He is up to something.
