God's Purposes Cannot Be Overthrown

There's a lesson about prayer in 2 Samuel 15:31 and 17:14. David's son Absolom was planning to take over his father's kingdom, but God had other plans. Ahithophel was David's friend and counselor, but in Absolom's rebellion and treason, he had sided with Absolom against David. "Then someone told David, saying 'Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absolom.' And David said, 'O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithopel into foolishness!'" (2 Samuel 15:31) And then in Chapter 17, God answers that prayer. Absolom asked for a second opinion from Hushai. Hushai said to Absolom that Ahithophel's advice was not good, and actually ended up (intentionally) helping David, not Absolom. "So Absolom and all the men of Israel said, 'The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithopehl.' For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absolom" (2 Samuel 17:14). The end of that story is David escapes to safety. David was not perfect, but he was still considered "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). He knew how to repent. This is an essential feature of being a person in right standing with God and praying effective prayers. "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16) "There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the LORD's counsel--that will stand" (Proverbs 19:21). God hears and answers our prayers, and no one or nothing can overthrow God's purposes. What matters is that we stay in relationship with God through conscious contact with him. That's why the Bible tells us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The time again is short for a few more days, but that is what God wanted me to discover and what I believe he was leading me to share with you tonight. We don't have to worry, but we do need to pray, and we can't pray effective prayer if we are not in right relationship with God. So, just be encouraged by this. God is with us as long as we are with him. Here is one verse to back this up: "The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you" (2 Chronicles 15:2). This theme is borne out throughout God's word, but it was especially striking to me in this story about David and Absolom. We can trust God always and it is in our best interest to be with him, not against him. "The idea that a movement will be overthrown by God if it is not of Him is a theological concept rooted in the Bible, specifically in the passage from Acts 5:38-39. It suggests that if a movement is not divinely inspired, it will naturally fail, while a movement of God will ultimately be victorious." This last paragraph is an AI Overview when I asked where that passage was in the Bible, and I thought the wording was clear and expressed what I wanted to say in conclusion. I have never cited an "AI Overview" before, so this is a first and I hope a last. In any case, we can rest assured that this theme is something we can rely on. I find this a very comforting concept for times such as these. May we rest assured that God's purposes will not be overthrown. So be at peace and rest in God's love this evening and always.