God is Working His Purpose Out

God is Working His Purpose Out
Words by Arthur Ainger

God is working His purpose out
As year succeeds to year;
God is working his purpose out,
And the time is drawing near;
Nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

From utmost east to utmost west,
Where’er man’s foot hath trod,
By the mouth of many messengers
Goes forth the voice of God:
“Give ear to Me, ye continents,
Ye isles, give ear to Me,”
That the earth may be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

What can we do to work God’s work,
To prosper and increase
The brotherhood of all mankind,
The reign of the Prince of Peace?
What can we do to hasten the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

March we forth in the strength of God,
With the banner of Christ unfurled,
That the light of the glorious Gospel of truth
May shine throughout the world;
Fight we the fight with sorrow and sin
To set their captives free,
That the earth may be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

All we can do is nothing worth
Unless God blesses the deed;
Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide
Till God gives life to the seed;
Yet near and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.

I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2

In Job’s dialogue with God, he acknowledges that no purpose of His can be thwarted. God’s ways are higher than our ways – He is God and we are not. He reminds us of this many times in the Old Testament through His dealings with His people.

See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. Deut. 32:9

God is indeed working His purpose out – in our individual lives as well as in the earth as a whole.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.' Isaiah 46:9-10

And what is His purpose? This hymn tells us that God is working His purpose out so that one day, the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. I cannot even begin to comment on how God will work that purpose out – but we know He will. Three separate times in His word He says

I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. Isaiah 45:23

For it is written," AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME,AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." Romans 14:11

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

This hymn makes it clear that we, as Christians, have a distinct role to play in bringing closer the day that every knee will bow and the earth will be filled with the glory of God: we fight the fight with sorrow and sin to set the captives free, but note that we don’t do it on our own power: we march forth in the strength of God. God promises us this strength and Peter reminds us that He supplies the strength we need.

'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. I Peter 4:11

I look forward to the day when God’s purpose will be worked out – He already knows what it will look like, and how it will happen. The rest of us need to trust Him and let His light shine through us, because one day

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14