Can faith change God's plan?

TL;DR:

Faith doesn’t alter God’s plans, but it activates them through us. By walking in faith, we become instruments God uses to bring His purposes to life.

Faith doesn’t change God’s ultimate plan, but it plays a vital role in how His purposes are carried out through human obedience. Salvation is a product of God’s plan and gift, with faith as the means through which we receive and walk in it (Ephesians 1:4; 2:8–10). Faith empowers us to live for God, bear spiritual fruit, and accomplish the works He prepared in advance (Ephesians 2:10). Hebrews 11 highlights the stories of those who lived by faith, demonstrating that God uses human faith to execute His unchanging purposes. Ultimately, faith is not a force that changes God but the channel through which His sovereign will unfolds in and through our lives.

from the old testament

God’s sovereignty ensures that His ultimate plans are unchanging (Isaiah 46:10), but faith and obedience can influence how those plans unfold in history. Examples include Abraham’s trust activating God’s promises (Genesis 15–22) and Moses’ intercession affecting outcomes without altering God’s overarching purposes (Exodus 32:11–14).

from the new testament

In some examples of Jesus healing people, God’s actions have a direct correlation to people’s faith or lack thereof. At times He said, "Your faith has made you well" (Matthew 9:22; Luke 17:19). In other situations, such as in His hometown of Nazareth, He was rejected by the people and could not perform any miracles because of their lack of faith (Mark 6:5–6).
In other miracles and healings, no mention of the person's faith is made (Mark 3:1–6; 4:35–41). God knows how every element of every situation will unfold; He is outside of time and completely sovereign. This is not to say that faith is unimportant, only that it does not alter the plan of God.
Faith enables us to receive the gift of salvation, but even that faith has not changed God's plan. We were chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).
The faith that brings us to salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9), and faith empowers us to walk with God after salvation (2 Corinthians 5:7).
As we walk by faith, we can accomplish God's plans for our lives: "For we are his [God's] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
Since before the beginning and all the way to the end, God empowers His faith-filled, Spirit-filled believers to bear spiritual fruit and bring His plans to pass on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Faith doesn't alter God's plans, but it is a crucial component of our Christians lives (2 Corinthians 4:18). Faith enables us to know God, walk with Him, and share Him with other people. We are to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). As we walk by faith, God's plans come to pass in and through us.

implications for today

Determining the role of our faith in God's plan is complicated. It really comes down to the interplay between two different factors: God's sovereignty and our choices as humans (free will). Nothing happens outside of God's control or His will—this is what theologians refer to as God's decretive will, sovereign will, or hidden will.

Yet, God gave humanity meaningful choice. Part of that includes the ability to sin or to go against God. Sin has all manner of negative consequences, summed up by the concept of death (Romans 6:23). Theologians refer to this as God's permissive will. God permits things, like sin and its bad effects, to happen. He does not desire these things to happen, but He allows them. God has a master plan for humanity, and within its complexity is space for God's instructions for us as well as His advance knowledge of how we will respond. Human free will is part of how God's sovereign will is accomplished. Our faith is part of God's plan.

Hebrews 11 discusses multiple stories of people who lived by faith for the sake of Christ. These people are inspiring examples for us in our own faith walk. All of the stories show how God worked through these individuals' faith and obedience, enabling His plans to happen and change not only their lives but the lives of those to come. Hebrews 11:30 recounts the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days." Was it always God's plan to destroy the walls of Jericho, or did Joshua's faith and leadership alter God's plan? Did the army's faithful marching convince God to make His move on the seventh day? Really, it was God's will for the Israelites to settle in the Promised Land and conquering Jericho was a necessary step. The faithfulness and obedience of Joshua and his army is what God used to accomplish His plan.

“[W]ithout faith it is impossible” for us to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus showed us the power of faith when He said: "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt … even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen" (Matthew 21:21). Even a small amount of faith can make a huge difference (Luke 17:6). Our faith is not a super-power; our faith is powerful because the omnipotent God is the object of it.

understand

Faith does not change God’s plan, but He works His purposes through our obedience.
God works through people responding in faith to accomplish His will without altering His sovereign plan.
Faith is a gift from God that enables salvation, empowers spiritual growth, and fulfills His plans.

reflect

How can you actively trust God, knowing your faith is a tool He uses to accomplish His plans?
In what areas of your life do you struggle to walk by faith, and how might leaning on God change the outcome of your obedience?
How is your spiritual life affected by understanding that your faith doesn’t change God’s ultimate plan but partners with it?

engage

How do biblical examples help us see the role of faith in God’s unchanging plan?
How can we discern the difference between God’s sovereign will and our human choices when walking in faith?
How can viewing our faith as vital instruments for God’s purposes impact how we pray and step out when He calls us to do so?