For those who have traveled through St. Louis, Missouri, there’s no way to miss the tallest manmade monument in the United States – the Gateway Arch. Towering at 630 ft. on the Mississippi River, it’s quite a statement for those driving by, and even more to those who stop and admire it. Having been many times, I never appreciated it’s complexity until recently. Designed in the late 1940s and constructed in from 1963-1965, it required an immense amount of precise calculations and ingenuitive engineering. A tram-like elevator takes a few people at a time to the observation deck that overlooks the city on one side and the river on the other. The viewing windows are small, but would be crushed by the pressure if they were any bigger. However, one of the things that stuck out to me was the construction process. On a normal building or monument, you pour a base and then build straight up (we learned the importance of a good base in Dough or Donut, there is no try). With this monument being an arch, they had two bases to start on which had to meet up in just the right spot to insert the final piece. Calculations of a few degrees or feet off would have meant the entire structure would be unstable and destroyed.

The more I learned about this manmade structure, the more it reminded me of the plans of God. There is a design which may not make sense to us until the work has been completed. “being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6). There will be times when it looks like things are out of God’s control or going against his plans. However, we can be assured that, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” (Psalm 33:11). That means that no matter what happens in the world or in your life, God is in control and working things as they need to be. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). There will be seasons in your life of prosperity and famine, joy and sorrow, sickness and health, but we are all under his care and control in this life and can take joy in his provision (Ecclesiastes 3).

If God were not eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, love and so many other intricate facets of his nature, none of this would matter or exist. Everything that has or will happen is under his direct guidance (not just a general reactionary supervision). “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11). If one thing was out of God’s control, there would only be destruction and failure and a reason to doubt him and his plans. Satan has sought to destroy God’s plans throughout the history of the world and attempts to use people to thwart God, but to no avail. Man continually makes his own plans apart from God, but only God’s plans will last (Proverbs 19:21). From the smallest cell to the largest star, God’s unchangeable, eternal plans will be fulfilled.

So, the next time you see a massive building or monument, think of all the plans that had to go right to end with that result. Then, thank God for his plans for you and your future. God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.