November 2, 2026 -- Proverbs 16:4 -- Stamped with the Maker's Mark

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People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble. Proverbs 16:4 ESV
 
There is something in our human nature which rebels against these words. We wonder, “how is this fair?” What does the Bible say to us when we question God the LORD in this way?
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me;”
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?  Isaiah 29:16-17 ESV

  • First off, He made everything. It is His absolute right to do with us whatever He pleases.

  • Second, since He made us, understanding our place in the universe begins when we realize our very life and every breath belong to the LORD. He made us. We are His. He can do with us as He pleases.

  • Third, though many of us reading this are Christians, even so, we have so much rebellion in us and so much desire for autonomy—the very things which in the past led us on a path of self-destruction—that we prove how much sin lingers in us when we read these words.

  • Fourth, the cost of redeeming us was the whole life and death of Jesus. Though He was perfect He was crushed for our rebelliousness and pride.

  • Fifth, it is just and right for God the Father to put to death all who refuse the Son. Their stubborn wickedness in the face of His outstretched mercy is brutal. It is as ridiculous as if a piece of pottery should criticize the Potter who made it. He is the Potter. He can trash one piece and display another.

  • Finally, oh don’t you see how this should humble us?! When we see how much we are like the wicked. The more mercy He shows us, the more we need to humble ourselves. The more we ought to ask the Spirit of God to crush every rebellious sigh and all the skulking temptations that flood our minds and souls. If we truly see how great our own wickedness is, and how much greater is His mercy toward us and His saving purposes which will not be stopped, we should fall to our knees and bless Him and praise Him as we shake our heads in wonder and awe and love.

 
O Father, Whose steadfast love is unstoppable towards those You choose to save, we bless You and praise You. We plead for ourselves, forgive us that stubborn pride that makes us think we deserve more than we’ve receive. Forgive us for the hubris that makes us question Your holy, Sovereign purposes. By Your Spirit enable us to fight every lust, every desire, every wayward temptation that arises from within us. Then give us the pure, holy zeal to serve Jesus in thought, word, and deed. O Father of all mercies, we plead for the people You have put in our lives, those who are still stuck in stubborn rebellion. By our witness and Your love in us flowing to them, break down every idol in them, cast out all the works of the enemy. Do this until they will turn to You, lost in wonder and in love. Then all of us, trophies of the grace You have lavished on us through our Lord Jesus Christ, will bless You and praise You now and forevermore. Amen.
 

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