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Established Steps

 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9 NIV)

People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do. (Proverbs 16:9 NCV)

Between the two versions of the verse above, I prefer the NIV, but where I found the verse today, it was quoted the other way, and to some extent, that’s the way I want to approach it, at least to begin. Some people seem to think that the only way this verse could the true, and the only way that God can be in control is if He makes every decision, and effect, He’s spinning plates. Granted, He can be everywhere and everywhen at once, so He could, but why bother? Wouldn’t it be wiser to make it so hearts beat within a certain range of times per minute? What sense would there be to saying the only way He’s in control is if He actively micromanages everything?

In the same sense, Gods deciding what someone will does not need to involve micromanaging every tiny detail. But that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t decide what we will do. It just means that His decision may be that we can do any of three things, but not those four. It may be that His decision is that two of those three things will be successful, but the third will fail. None of the seven (or 700, or 7,000,000) will ruin the overall plan. In some cases, the three options may be reduced to one. “You will do that.” But most of the time, I’ll go with the notion that God has factored in our stupidity and our rebellion, and “The Following Options Are Available…”

The sad thing is that while people find it irritating that God would make plans for them without at least consulting them, people don’t have the same compunction against making plans for God without at least consulting Him. And when He doesn’t cooperate, they think they’re justified in their anger even though He is not justified in His if they don’t cooperate. I don’t like it when God doesn’t give me a choice but I also don’t like when He does. I want to be in control, but I don’t want to make a mistake. There can be only one right answer, right?

So bring it down to the point. When our planned course is toward God and toward His will, then He will establish our steps. When our planned course takes us away from God, but to a point that will allow us to come back to God, He’ll establish our steps. If we are doggedly determined to walk away from Him, He’ll also establish our steps. It is as C. S. Lewis put it, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’” And both of those end up with their steps established by God, but not always in the direction they ultimately prefer.

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