Proverbs 16:1. The preparations of the heart in man (plans of the heart belong to man), and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.
So, finally, it’s the big day of Friday, and as we shout: ‘TGIF Thank God it’s Friday!’ we’re looking forward to either a very restful weekend, or one filled with much partying and frolicking. But either way, we take the weekend to be our God-given right to do as we please. (smile) Be careful though, for the Lord ofttimes has something to say about our doings.
And let’s remember the old saying, ‘man plans, but God laughs.’ The adage is a reminder that life is unpredictable. Yes friends, the Road of Life is certainly unpredictable, and despite our most careful planning, unexpected changes can happen; changes that can be either disappointing or exhilarating. As one commentary puts it: ‘We might have driving and destination strategies but scenic new vistas might beckon us or unforeseen roadblocks can deter us.’
That brings us to the wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs 16, which deal with man’s plans and God’s reaction. The chapter opens with this most appropriate and intriguing pronouncement. ‘The preparations of the heart in man (plans of the heart belong to man), and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) Yes my brethren, although we have the ability and the right to plan, in the long run it’s what the Lord says that triumphs. Or, as the scholars put it: ‘The Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words.
And Cousin Sol follows that verse with this other important one. ‘All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.’ (Prov. 16:2) And so it is. We believe that all our doings are right and good, but the Lord doesn’t base His approval on what we do, as much as on why we do it. The Lord mainly looks at our motives for doing things. As the scholars state, ‘The Lord is a great discerner of motives.’ That’s why Cousin Sol later states: ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ (Prov. 16:7)
And that’s the gospel truth! When the Lord’s happy with our motives, He makes us to find favour even with out enemies. It’s like Bruh David says in that most famous Psalm 23: ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Ps. 23:5) Oh my people, that’s how our Lord blesses us when we do things His way and not our own. For as Cousin Sol repeats in Proverbs 16: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) And per the scholars: ‘The Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning.’
So the long and short of the story is that if the Lord desires to thwart our best laid plans He can. Again, as the old saying goes; the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. And we can all appreciate and agree with that, because many times our best laid plans have indeed been foiled by unfortunate or unforeseen circumstances. That’s just life. But Cousin Sol also tells us in Proverbs 16, how to make our plans not go astray as often. And how is that you anxiously ask? He says: ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov. 16:9)
As simple as pumpkin pie my people! If we don’t want too many of our schemes and plans to go awry, then we have to begin by basing them on God’s word and His will; be obedient to them. The problem though with this current society is that we believe we know everything, even more than God. So much so we’re fighting tooth and nail to rid our society of Him. But friends, that’s an impossible, fool’s dream, if there ever was one. Because the Lord created the universe and still runs it, and will not give up His power to anyone, especially Satan.
Mark His words from way back when, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) Let’s hope that puts some sense in our heads, for the Lord will not lie down and allow His foolish creations, man and Satan to take over a world He so LOVINGLY created, and has great future plans for. And I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to understand that God created us and still pulls our strings, although He gives us free will to do a lot of stuff, which we use to do foolishness, like turning away from Him, and trying to erase Him from our society.
But believe me friends, the Lord will have the proverbial last laugh for He is the Creator and Controller of this entire universe. And the sooner we come to that realization, the better off we will be. And to help us get there, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to ease our problems.
Altogether. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we don’t wake up and become better examples of Christian living, then we will not see any divine aid. It’s as simple as that. The ball is now in our court, so let’s use it wisely nuh. Much LOVE!
…free will is not so much about doing what we want…as about using it to choose God…
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