All is in the hand of the Lord
For many people, the man is the only one that defines his future and paths. For many, all is a matter of pure rationalism, with life looking like a calculator. Get the data, make the calculations and have the result. Obviously, such a mechanistic view of life ignores the Creator and Captain of Life, Who is the One that always has the last word. As Job tells us:
Job 23:13
"But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does."
And as we read in Proverbs:
Proverbs 21:2
"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts."
Proverbs 16:1
"The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord."
Proverbs 16:2
"All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits."
Proverbs 19:21
"There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel- that will stand."
Proverbs 16:9
"A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps."
Many may be the roads that are sometimes open before us. Many may be the questions that we may have. What does the Word say? That the Lord, despite our questions, He knows how to direct us. Five times in the above passages from Proverbs, we read that though a man may make many plans and thoughts that seem right in his eyes, at the end is the will of the Lord that will stand. It is the Lord, the Creator and Captain of life, that directs our steps and weights the spirits and the hearts. As Jeremiah tells us:
Jeremiah 10:23
"O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps."
You may think why the so and so thing went this way and not the other. You may also condemn yourself, believing that you didn’t act in the best way concerning something. However, we should not do this. The Captain of life, the One to whom you have trusted your life, has also a word and a will. As it says in Proverbs 24:12:
Proverbs 24:12
"If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not knowit? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?"
The Lord keeps our souls, weighs our hearts, and though we may not know, He knows. The Lord knows everything that may trouble us or may have hurt us. Instead of condemning ourselves for past decisions or be stressful for the future ones, let’s open our hearts to Him, trust our way to Him and He certainly knows how to direct us. Going again to Paul’s case we looked at in the past issue (Acts 16), he didn’t have right from the beginning a revelation concerning where he should go and preach the Word. This however doesn’t mean that he stayed somewhere waiting for the revelation. Instead he chose to go to Mysia. But the Lord prevented him. Then he tried to go to Galatia but the Lord prevented him again. Finally he arrived at Troas and there the Lord showed him in a vision that he should go and preach the Word to Macedonia. Paul didn’t stay at his home waiting for the yes or no of God. Nor he condemned himself for the fact that the choices of Mysia and Galatia didn’t work. He made the decision to go there. He knocked the door with honesty and let the Lord to open it or shut it. Many times we may find ourselves in crossroads where we need to make a decision. Let’s make the decision with prayer and pure heart, leaving the Lord to direct our steps. What is most important is not our ability to make decisions or to receive revelations but to completely trust the Lord and He will lead us on the way. Here is what David says:
Psalms 37:3-7
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will act. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;"
Let us commit our way to the Lord and He will act. Let’s rest in Him and wait patiently for Him. And as again we read in Romans 8:28
Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
All things work together for good to those who love God. ALL. Both those who we consider as good and those who we consider as painful. Let’s therefore not be discouraged nor lose our courage. Instead let’s trust in the Lord and He knows how to lead us on the way.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."