DEVOTION – DAY 267

Proverbs 16:9 “God Is Sovereign”

 

Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

 

In Proverbs 16:3-4, the writer teaches us that God is Sovereign over every human thought and action. We may make plans but it is God who will direct us as to where we will ultimately end up. This teaching is again emphasized in v9 above that God is Sovereign and we may set our hearts on doing something but in the end, God will be setting out the actual steps we take.

 

In Acts 16, we have an example of Paul who had planned to remain in Asia Minor to share the gospel with the people there. God intervened and gave a vision to Paul during the night, that redirected him to travel to Macedonia instead. This resulted in Paul bringing the gospel to Europe. In the book of Jonah, God wanted Jonah to warn his enemies, the Ninevites, to repent. Jonah hated the Ninevites. He wanted God to judge them, not forgive them. So, he made plans to go as far away from Nineveh as possible. Despite Jonah’s plans to disobey God, God caused Jonah to arrive at Nineveh just as He had instructed.

 

I know someone who had decided on a career path. She spent some time getting the necessary qualifications. She worked hard to get relevant experience and she thought she had created a niche for herself. But just as she received an interesting job offer, something unexpected arose and that job offer did not lead anywhere. One after another, job opportunities did not work out. This person was puzzled and she prayed for God’s direction. God revealed to her that He wanted her to serve Him in an area of ministry that required a lot of her time. She then realized why she was not making progress in her career because God had better plans for her. She obeyed God and served in this ministry. She had been blessed as a result.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, please forgive us for trying to make plans on our own without first asking you for directions and Your plans for us. Help us to always fall in with Your plans knowing that it is the best for us. We pray this in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. How do you make plans? Do you plan according to your heart’s desires or do you seek God’s direction first?
  2. How has God intervened in the past and redirected your plans?
  3. Should you follow your plans and put aside God’s plans until you have retired or when you have more free time? Discuss.
  4. What does this verse teach you about God’s sovereignty?