“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name…”
Genesis 11:4
Years ago, when we were looking for land for the church here in Madison, we thought we had found exactly what we needed. It was ten acres about a mile south of where our church is located today. The price had been settled, the location seemed right, and everything appeared to be coming together perfectly. Then something happened we never expected. The city told us we couldn’t build there. I’ll be honest, that really frustrated me. I remember praying, “Lord, what is going on? We’ve found the land. We’ve agreed on the price. Why isn’t this working out?”
A couple of months later, we found another piece of property about a mile north, just outside the city limits. It was more land at a much better price and turned out to be a far better place for our church. Looking back, I can see what I couldn’t see then: God knew exactly what He was doing. What felt like a roadblock was really a redirection. The Lord crashed our plan because He had a better one. That’s exactly what we find in Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel.
THEY MADE THEIR PLANS WITHOUT GOD.
The people said, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower…” Listen to their words: “Let us build…let us make us a name…lest we be scattered abroad.” There was a whole lot of “us” in their plans, but there wasn’t any God.
There’s nothing wrong with making plans. We ought to plan for the future. But there is something wrong with planning our future without seeking God’s will. Sometimes we get everything figured out and then say, “Lord, bless what I’ve decided to do.” Maybe we have it backwards. Instead of asking God to bless our plans, we ought to ask Him to show us His plans. James 4:15 says, “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” It’s good to have a plan. It’s better to have God in the plan.
THEIR PLANS WERE REALLY ABOUT THEMSELVES.
They said, “Let us make us a name.” Pride was at the heart of the tower of Babel. They wanted to build something so impressive that everybody would know what they had accomplished. And if we’re not careful, there can be a little “Babel” in all of us. We like to be noticed and appreciated. But God didn’t put us here to make our name great. He put us here to make the name of Jesus great. John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
The question shouldn’t be, “Will people notice what I’ve done?” but, “Will people see Jesus through what I’ve done?”
THEN GOD CRASHED THEIR PLANS.
God, the Holy Trinity, said in Genesis 11:7, “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language…” Suddenly they couldn’t understand one another. The work stopped. The people scattered. God crashed their plans. But don’t miss this: *God wasn’t being cruel. God was being loving. He knew where their pride and rebellion were taking them. They couldn’t see it, but He could. And because He loved them, He stepped in and stopped them.
Sometimes because He loves us, God crashes our plans too. We see a closed door. God sees what’s behind it. We see a delay. God sees what’s up the road. We see disappointment. God may see protection.
That’s what happened with our church property. At the time I was asking, “Lord, why?” Today I can look back and say, “Lord, thank You!” I’m sure most of us have something like that in our lives…something we desperately wanted or prayed would happen, only to realize later, “God knew what He was doing all along.” Proverbs 19:21 says, “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”
God loves us too much to stand by and watch us go in a direction He knows isn’t best. Sometimes His love opens a door, and sometimes His love closes one. Sometimes His love lets our plans succeed, and sometimes His love crashes them.
THE GOSPEL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
There’s a beautiful Gospel truth in this story.The people at Babel were trying to build something that would reach toward heaven. That’s a picture of mankind trying to reach God. But we could never build high enough, work hard enough, or be good enough to reach Him. So, God came down to us! Jesus left heaven, came into this world, went to the cross, died for our sins, and rose again so that everyone who trusts Him can someday live with Him in heaven.
Babel says, “We’ll build our way up.” But God’s grace says, “Jesus came all the way down.”
WHAT ABOUT YOU, TODAY?
Maybe something isn’t going according to your plans. Maybe a door you thought would open has closed. Maybe you’re asking, “Lord, what is going on?” Don’t assume God has forgotten you. You may not understand what He is doing right now, but there may come a day when you look back and realize the closed door was God pointing you toward something better. *The God who loves you enough to guide your steps also loves you enough to stop your steps. So, when your plans suddenly change, trust the One who can see farther up the road than you can. Because sometimes one of the greatest expressions of God’s love is this: *He crashes our plans before our plans crash us.
Here’s a good prayer to pray…
Lord, thank You for loving me enough not only to open the right doors, but also to close the wrong ones. When I don’t understand what You are doing, help me trust that You see what I cannot see. Keep me from building my life around my plans instead of Yours. Lead me in Your will, and may everything I do bring glory to Your name. Amen!
Think it over…
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