Proverbs 16:9: A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Insight
This is a good description of God’s sovereign rule. It is an inscrutable mystery how God accomplishes his fixed purpose by free-willed agents. Man without his free will is a machine. God without his unchangeable purpose ceases to be God. As rational agents we think, consult, act freely. We are dependent agents, and the Lord exercises his own power in permitting, overruling, or furthering our actions. Thus man proposes, and God disposes. A man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. God orders our will without infringing our liberty or stopping us from being responsible creatures. For while we act as we please, we must be answerable.
Often when our purpose seems to be perfectly clear, we discover that our own plans are blocked by unexpected difficulties, and unexpected facilities open in a totally opposite way. Ultimately we acknowledge that the Lord has led us in a direct route. So we find our happiness and security in giving up our will to our heavenly Guide. He knows the complete route; he knows the end from the beginning. 1
Application
In Psalm 37:23, King David helps us to understand the heart of God to lead us in the right direction. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”
What plans should you surrender? What plans should you embrace?
Motivation
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. – Isaiah 46:9
Plans are worth planning, if your plans include being joyfully flexible. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Father, thank You for listening to my heart, but teach me how to listen to Your heart.
1. Bridges, C. (2001). Proverbs. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
