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“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 HCSB
This passage hit me so hard. The heart of man is always up to something. We like things our way. We want things simple and easy to follow. We are used to getting a menu to choose from, and a prospectus to plan into the future. We love control, and we hate to listen to someone else’s plan for our lives. Detours hijack our day and ruin our plans.
What has history taught us both nationally and individually? Leaders plan, but God controls the path. Armies go to battle, but God decides the victor. Man can rant and rave, scheme and manipulate, but God will give or take away as He sees fit.
“Man meditates and prepares his plans with the utmost solicitude, hut it rests with God whether he shall carry them to completion or not, and whether, if they are to be accomplished, it be done with ease or with painful labour.”
Pulpit Commentary
So, what does this really mean? Jeremiah offers an insightful response.
“I know, LORD, that a man’s way of life is not his own; no one who walks determines his own steps. 24 Discipline me, LORD, but with justice— not in Your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing.”
Jeremiah 10:23-24 HCSB
Here we learn that it is possible to face God’s anger by planning our ways but refusing to accept His direction. As we plan, we remember that God’s ways are so much higher than our ways. We understand that His discipline will keep us on the straight and narrow. We acknowledge that His wisdom and justice go far beyond our comprehension.
There are several types of planning. Stubborn, foolish planning does not consider the ways of God. It does not submit to His ways. That kind of planning is foolish. It is impatient and self-centered. God desires for His “planners” to possess humility and teachability. Just as Jeremiah writes, we must yearn for God’s careful, loving discipline.