1.
God plans without human consent
His will
His Word
His works put into effect,
Human wisdom does not grasp
that even its sturggles and striving
fulfills His designs.
Arrogance breeds depravity:
“I am king!
I am king!”
The hollow boast echoes.
Self-made crowns of fool’s gold tarnish
No fig leaf can cover fatal wounds
The self-made crowns drip blood
And seek in vain to atone
Its self-inflicted wounds
2.
I am covered by what I cannot see
I am buried in the waters of life
I spring forth in the Spirit of the resurrection
And declare I am born of the will of God
His Word works a work we cannot tell
It rushes where it wishes
Blowing the fig leaves off my guilty life
Exposed, I stand covered with love
Blown by the Spirit of grace.
I am undone!
I am redone!
God’s plans work out
His Word and works
Produce life without human effort.
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Without Human Consent contrasts human pride and futility with God’s sovereignty and grace. We often crown ourselves with the illusions of grandure, yet our self-made crowns quickly tarnish under the weight of sin.
This poem traces rebellion to redemption, from fig leaves to grace, from hollow self-exaltation to true worship. Like Job, the speaker ultimately places a hand over his mouth (Job 40:4), confessing that God’s purposes prevail beyond human consent or control. But grace transforms ruin into a song of renewal. Baptism, the breath of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the resurrection proclaim a doxology: How great Thou art! God Plans calls believers to humility before God and to the joyful rest that comes only when human boasting gives way to praising God for what He has done.
This sequence gives Without Human Consent a coherent biblical arc:
- Creation and Sovereignty
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” - Fall and Pride
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” - Exposure of Sin
Hebrews 4:13 ”Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” - Regeneration
Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” - New Creation
Revelation 21:5 “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!'” - Worship
Psalm 95:6 “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”