The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
Psalms 33:10-12
The unstated assumption here is that this 'counsel of the nations' is antagonistic to Yahweh ('the LORD'). Thus Psalm 2: 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh and against his Anointed.' The nations hate their Creator. They yearn to cast off His 'restraints'. And because of their hatred of Him they also hate us, His Church. That hatred has many faces, some of them are smiling, though deceitfully. And while there will be seasons when 'the counsel of the nations' has the upper hand, seasons like now. But they won't succeed - not ultimately. It is the Church that God 'has chosen as His heritage'. It is the Church He intends to give success to. And we will succeed since 'the counsel of Yahweh stands forever'. As a result, we can look to the future with great optimism even as the present gets darker.