The plans and reflections of the heart belong to man, But the [wise] answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions], But the Lord weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].—Proverbs 16:1-2 AMP
I recently worked on a project where the word “limitation” kept cropping up again and again. This word got me thinking about human limitations in comparison with the sovereignty of God.
Human beings are created in the image of God, and as such, it is in our nature to make plans, dream, strategise, and be creative. From the inception of time, humans have always attempted to prove that they are in control of their affairs and by implication, the affairs of the world. While this may be true and acceptable to some extent, it is worth knowing that as humans, we are limited.
Certain things and situations are sometimes beyond our control, knowledge, ability and power. A classic example in the Bible is of a man named Balaam, who was hired to curse the people of Israel. Every time he opened his mouth to curse the people, the words kept coming out as a blessing.
Regardless of our belief and personal conviction, we need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God in our world affairs. Ultimately, He is in control of the universe. Nothing escapes the knowledge of the One who created the universe and who knows every thought and intention of man!
There’s so much going on in our world today that we don’t seem to have solutions for. Although we’re free to plan and dream, and God sovereignly enables people to put their thoughts into action, where this is outside of His will, the outcomes are sometimes chaotic. Rather than being resigned to fate, we should trust in God because He is aware and in control of our seemingly chaotic situations.
Verse two says, “All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions] …” – A lot of the problems in our lives and the world can be linked or attributed to our stubbornness, pride and especially when we think too highly of ourselves.
We know people who think too highly of themselves actually have the least reason to think highly of themselves. But that does not stop them from continuing in that part and in the process causing problems for themselves and others close to them. Apostle Paul gave this warning: “… Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:3 (NLT)
As humans, we often choose to trust in our conceived thoughts and plans, seeing our ways and actions clean, justified and faultless in our eyes. Today’s verses call for humility, integrity, self-reflection, self-examination and less self-justification because God weighs not just our actions, but the motives, intentions and spirit behind them.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 