A Broke Evangelist

December 5, 2024

Romans 11:33-36

Praising God for His Plan

“33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond racing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

This will be a historical lesson one day:

Once upon a time in the vast, overly opinionated land of Social Media, a new breed of self-appointed philosophers emerged. They called themselves “Deconstructors of the Faith.” Their mission? To dismantle every belief they once held dear, one Instagram post at a time, while simultaneously blaming everyone else for their spiritual crises. Now, these folks were a curious bunch. They weren’t exactly atheists, but they also weren’t interested in being traditional Christians anymore. They lived in a weird gray area where their theology came from pie charts they saw on Pinterest and TikTok videos with dramatic background music.

One particularly vocal Deconstructor, named Saul, had turned his Twitter feed into a battlefield. His first post featured a video of him staring dramatically into the camera and declaring, “Today, I let go of the chains of my past and embrace the freedom of my truth. #DeconstructionJourney #Healing.” Translation? Saul was still mad at his pastor father for not hugging him enough as a child and decided to process those feelings by broadcasting them to his 2,000 TikTok followers. Adding fuel to the fire, Saul also harbored a grudge against his father for mowing the lawn outside his bedroom window while Saul was sleeping off a hangover after a wild high school party. His youth, according to him, was a “litany of abuse” because his father was stern and his mother stood by her husband’s parenting choices—much to Saul’s everlasting chagrin. But Saul’s grievances somehow turned into his own flourishing ministry, one built on bashing the faithful while rocking hoop earrings, leather skirts, and stiletto heels. And truth be told, he pulled off the look. He was, in his own way, quite fabulous.

Meanwhile, another Deconstructor, Bethany, also took to TikTok to share her grievances. “The church hurt me,” she said, flipping her hair for dramatic effect. “They told me I couldn’t lead worship in Uggs, and honestly, that’s oppression. If Jesus wore sandals, why can’t I wear my boots of choice?” Her video, of course, went viral. She stood proudly in her Uggs, sporting a rainbow Love Wins T-shirt while promoting her latest self-help book. The book chronicled her so-called “journey to freedom,” detailing her messy divorce and the depression she endured when her husband left her. It was the latest installment in what could only be described as a memoir series about Bethany’s life-long struggles with everything from judgmental church ladies to bad hair days.

Somehow, both Saul and Bethany found an audience for their tales of woe, proving that even grievances—real or imagined—could become marketable content in the hands of the right Deconstructor. And before long, the Deconstructors were everywhere. Their posts had a pattern:

A vague, emotionally charged statement about "healing."

An accusation directed at “the church” (because apparently, every church is the same, and everyone who has ever attended one is responsible for their bad experience).

A call to “rethink everything” followed by an inspirational quote… usually misattributed to C.S. Lewis or Jesus.

And while they claimed they were “breaking free” from toxic religion, they couldn’t seem to stop talking about it. Daily. For hours. On every platform. The so-called Christians who followed these posts—let’s call them the “Eye Rollers for Jesus”—watched this unfold like a never-ending soap opera. One observer, Deborah, asked her husband Fred, “Why do they keep blaming the church for everything?” Deborah was a seasoned Eye Roller who had seen it all. She continued, “At some point, Saul’s just got to admit he’s mad because no one liked his book titled, “The Religious Right Writes Wrong Rightly.”  Fred chuckled over his coffee, as she continued, “And don’t even get me started on Brittany. I saw her ‘deconstructing’ post, and the very next day, she was selling ‘Deconstruction Journey’ journals on Etsy for $40 apiece.” Deborah sighed. “It’s like they’ve made blaming the church a full-time job. I mean, sure, the church isn’t perfect, but last time I checked, Jesus didn’t call us to spend our lives undermining our youth pastors for the minds of this new generation.”

Despite the drama, the Eye Rollers knew one thing: God’s truth didn’t change just because Saul and Bethany were having an existential crisis. Faith wasn’t about trends or hashtags—it was about following Christ, even when people (and churches) fell short.

In the end, while the Deconstructors were busy racking up likes, shares, and the occasional sponsored post, the real Christians quietly went about their lives, loving God, loving others, and occasionally muttering, “Lord, help these kids,” while scrolling past another moody sunset pic.

And God, with infinite patience and a heavenly sense of humor, kept working on everyone—Deconstructors, Eye Rollers, and all. Because in His kingdom, there’s grace for every misguided tweet and every dramatic TikTok video. Even for Saul.

After explaining God's great plan about how God let Israel go off into spiritual solitude, while drawing the Gentiles toward Him, Paul had an additional revelation about this when he envisioned the greatness of God and his wonderful plan in Romans 11:33-36...

Romans 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond racing out!

Picture Paul, sitting there deep in thought, reflecting on God’s great plan. He’s probably just minding his own business when—boom—it hits him. God’s plan for the universe isn’t just big—it’s massive. We’re talking galaxy-sized, infinite-in-every-direction kind of big. And in that moment, Paul’s mind is completely blown. You can almost see him making the “poosh” motion with his hands, his eyes wide, going, “Whoa… this is beyond anything I could ever understand!” It’s like trying to learn advanced physics backward when you’ve never even taken basic math. Paul’s sitting there wondering, “How do You even start to think like this, God?” You can imagine him glancing around, hoping someone else might be on the same wavelength. But nope—this revelation is just for him. (Let’s face it, if someone else had been there and gotten it, we’d probably have a letter from them too. But no, just Paul!)

What he’s realizing is monumental: God’s plan isn’t random—it’s intentional and breathtakingly beautiful. He allowed His people, Israel, to step away for a time so that others could be welcomed in. And through this, His ultimate purpose would come full circle, bringing Israel back into His embrace. Paul can’t contain it anymore. He throws up his hands and breaks into praise, saying, “God, You win! Your wisdom is too deep, Your knowledge too vast. You’re just… You’re too good at this!” It’s inspiring, isn’t it? To think that the same God with such a masterful, all-encompassing plan is the One who holds your life in His hands. Even when we don’t understand the “how” or “why,” we can trust that God’s wisdom and love are working everything out perfectly. And like Paul, we can just let go, lift our hands, and say, “God, You’ve got this!”

Romans 11:34 - “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”

The words of Isaiah (Isaiah 40:13) came to the mind of Paul causing him to realize how amazing it is to think about how perfect God’s wisdom is. I mean, who could ever know what God thinks or give advice to the Spirit of the LORD or teach Him anything? The answer is a no-brainer: no one! God doesn’t need a counselor because He already knows everything—every detail, every plan, every possibility. Here’s a crazy thought: God knows how much dust is in the entire world. Not just the stuff you sweep up at home, but all of it—from the desert sands to the tiniest specks floating in the air. He knows how much the mountains and hills weigh, too. Can you imagine that? While we’re over here trying to guess if our luggage is under the weight limit, God has already calculated the weight of Everest and every hill in your neighborhood. But it’s not just about knowing stuff. God’s wisdom is about using all that knowledge perfectly. He doesn’t just know the details of the universe; He knows exactly what to do with them. He sees the big picture and the tiniest pieces, and He weaves it all together into a flawless plan. The best part of all of it is that God’s wisdom isn’t just distant or abstract—it’s personal. That same wisdom is at work in your life. When things feel overwhelming or uncertain, you can trust that the One who measures mountains and counts grains of sand is guiding you, too.

So, take heart. You don’t have to figure everything out, because God already has. Trust in His wisdom and let Him lead—you’re in the best hands possible.

Romans 11:35 - “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”

This passage from Job 41:11 was referring to a hypothetical Leviathan captured during the weekend trip to the lake. So, let’s talk about that for a second—this is no cute, fuzzy, cuddly creature. Leviathan is like the ultimate underwater horror story—massive, terrifying, and completely unmanageable. You don’t pet Leviathan; you avoid it and pray it doesn’t notice you. If Leviathan had a résumé, it would say, “Job description: make grown men cry.” God’s basically asking Job, “Hey, buddy, can you handle Leviathan?” And Job’s over there like, “Uh, no. I can’t even handle a bad hair day, let alone that thing.” Imagine trying to leash Leviathan like it’s a puppy. You’d show up with a rope, and Leviathan would be like, “That’s cute.”

But Leviathan isn’t even the top of the food chain. God’s the one who made Leviathan. He’s like, “Yeah, I designed it. Nice, huh? Hey, by the way, I’m in complete control of it.” And Job’s standing there realizing, “Okay, if I can’t handle Leviathan—and I definitely can’t—how in the world could I ever think I could stand toe-to-toe with the God who created it?” This is God gently (but also hilariously) putting Job in his place. It’s like a loving reminder: “Job, I know life feels overwhelming right now, but let’s keep some perspective. You’re struggling to keep your sandals tied, and I’m over here managing the universe and Leviathan. Trust Me—I’ve got this.” The message here is both humbling and inspiring. It’s God saying, “Hey, I’m way bigger, way wiser, and way more powerful than anything you’re facing. Even the stuff that scares you—like Leviathan—is under My control. You don’t have to figure it all out. Just trust Me.” And Job? Well, I think we can all imagine him nodding slowly, maybe muttering something like, “Yeah, okay, point taken,” while checking under the bed for good measure. And really, who wouldn’t?

Romans 11:36 - For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

When we break this down: “For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things,” we’re talking everything. Not just the big, impressive stuff like stars, oceans, and mountains—but all things. That means cute puppies, delicious tacos, sunsets that make you cry, and even that one sock that keeps disappearing in the dryer.

Let’s start with “from Him.” Everything starts with God. He’s the ultimate source. You know how every good story begins with, “Once upon a time”? Well, God is the “once” behind all the time. If it exists, it’s because He thought of it, made it, and said, “Yep, that’s good.” (that includes Brussels sprouts. Not sure why, though).

Now, “through Him.” This is where it gets good. Not only does everything come from God, but He’s the reason it all holds together. Imagine trying to balance a house of cards on a trampoline during an earthquake—that’s what the universe would be like without God holding it steady. Gravity? His idea. Oxygen? He’s got the patent. The fact that coffee exists every morning? Yeah, better believe that’s God looking out for us.

And finally, “for Him.” Everything is for Him. It all points back to His glory. Think about it: the beauty of a flower, the laughter of kids, the way chocolate just makes life better—it all reflects His goodness. Even when we don’t understand why things happen, God’s weaving it all into a plan that makes sense in the end. He’s like the master chef who takes weird ingredients and somehow turns them into something incredible.

So, what does that mean for us? It’s simple: God’s got it all covered. From Him, through Him, and for Him means you don’t have to carry the weight of the world—it’s not yours to carry anyway. It’s like God saying, “Hey, I’ve got this. Just enjoy the ride, trust Me, and maybe thank Me for tacos once in a while.”

So next time you’re staring at the stars or savoring a brownie, just smile and remember: it’s all from Him, through Him, and for Him—and He’s loving every minute of it.

More to come…

A Broke Evangelist – December 5, 2024

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