“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
So much for being a self-made man, eh? We all like to think we are in charge of our destiny. Do you remember the bumper-sticker, “Jesus is my co-pilot”? How about the other one - “If Jesus is your co-pilot switch seats.”?
Years ago I heard a saying in German, “Der Mensch denkt aber Gott lenkt,” which basically means, “Man thinks, but God directs.” So I looked it up after coming upon this reading from Proverbs. Sure enough, it WAS this reading from Proverbs that I heard so long ago.
How often do we get caught up in our worries, our plans, even our schemes? How often do we try to bend the world and those around us to our will only to find God has another plan for us? Often we find that the heart of man - our hearts - are weak, foolish, and inclined toward evil. They are the perfect tools to lead fools astray.
It is no different regarding salvation. God has a plan for us. He has saved us by His grace through faith in Christ Jesus - and this is not our work, so that no one may boast. But we do like to make it about us, about the church, the pastor, about grandma, about the “wife who goes to church for us” - yes, I have heard that one.
Does this all mean we are to do nothing, to be leaves blown in some divine wind? No. God establishes our steps but in faith we are called to take those steps. To do anything less is to follow our own thinking … and we know where that leads. We are called to take His hand and follow His lead - his plan for our lives.
Prayer: Lord God, you are my rock and my salvation. Let me not lean upon my own understanding. Don’t let me go my own way, but let me peacefully and faithfully rely upon you for my salvation and my daily life. Amen.