Proverbs 16.1-2
“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.”
We can and should strategize about the future, but this proverbs reminds us to remember that the future is ultimately determined by God. This does not mean we shouldn’t plan, and it doesn’t mean that our plans don’t matter. The purpose of this proverb is not to discourage human planning, but rather to keep people aware that their plans will come to nothing without God’s blessing.
It is a statement that God is ultimately sovereign, and it should keep us humble. It is an admonition to plan with God’s principles as a reference point. It is a reminder to pray as we plan … to always seek the Lord’s wisdom and insight in all that we do.
The second statement in this proverb is an added reminder to be self-reflective and humble in the plans that we make. It reminds us we are sometimes over-confident in our thoughts and plans, and we aren’t always aware of our true motives. The Lord, however, sees into our hearts and “weights the spirit.” He is fully aware of our motives.
This is an echo of Proverbs 3.5-8: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Here is the prime question: What is the source of authority in your life? What reference points do you use for right and wrong? Where do you look for guidance, direction, and authority? Proverbs tells us the wise person looks to God, but the foolish person looks to self.
The book of James in the NT also warns against arrogance in planning: “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4.13-17)
In the planning process, motives matter. Everybody plans and acts in order to accomplish things, and that’s OK. That’s the nature of the world that God has created, and it’s how he created us to function in the world.
But wanting things and making plans isn’t the problem; the problem we face is that our wants, desires, and plans are distorted by our old nature. As a result, we want the wrong things, or we want the right things in the wrong way. For that reason, we must have the humility and courage to examine our motives. As James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4.3).
Motives matter. What you want and why you want it is critical. What are you seeking and why? What door are you knocking on and why? What are you asking for and why? Let us ask God for wisdom, and let us ask for the right reasons.
Combatting misdirected and distorted desires is a constant inner battle that is fought within the heart. Jeremiah warned us about the intensity and difficulty of this inner battle: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17.9). It is for this reason that Proverbs says “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4.23).
Do not let the voices of the world distract you or deceive you or derail you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
