Psalms 50:21
‘Thou thoughtest that I was ... as thyself’
Read Exodus 33:12 to Exodus 34:7
The God of heaven is not like men think he is. God is not helpless; he is almighty. God is not frustrated; he is sovereign. God is not subject to man’s will; man is subject to God’s will. God is not in your hands; you are in God’s hands. ‘Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased’ (Psalms 115:3). God says, ‘I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure ... I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it’ (Isaiah 46:9-11).
God Almighty does not want to save everyone in the world. Stop and think for a minute. If God really wanted to save everyone in the world, everyone in the world would be saved. He is God. God is not trying to save everybody. Almighty God never tries to do anything. Whatever God puts forth his hand to do is done. ‘None can stay his hand’ (Daniel 4:35). He is God. If God tried to save everybody, everybody would be saved. Who can thwart his purpose? Who can resist his power? Find me the man, or the demon, who can successfully thwart the purpose of God, resist the power of God and frustrate the grace of God, and I will worship him, for he is almighty.
The fact is God wants to save and does save some men. It has been God’s purpose from eternity to save those people whom he has chosen, and God’s eternal purpose cannot be defeated. God’s elect people must and will be saved. God himself declares, ‘It shall come to pass.’ He does not say, ‘It may come to pass.’ He does not say, ‘I hope it will come to pass.’ He does not say, ‘It will come to pass, if man will exercise his free will and bring it to pass; but if man does not give me permission, my hands are tied and I can do nothing.’ Our God declares, ‘It shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God’ (Hosea 1:10). I love the ‘shalls’ and ‘wills’ of Almighty God. He says, ‘I will be your God, and ye shall be my people,’ and he brings it to pass.