Message: Sovereign over our Speech
Time: It seems that Proverbs was written and then compiled sometime between the tenth and sixth centuries B.C. Proverbs was probably written during the reign of Solomon, 971-931 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's sovereign work has always been a tough concept for me to grasp. I wonder how much is man's responsibility and how much is God's. I approach it as an either/or idea. But, is it all or nothing or is there a different way to understand it? If God is completely sovereign and has ordained everything, down to the tiniest detail then man does not have free will and man's choices do not really matter. If this were the case, I think there would be no need for any commands from God, in the Bible. Why would he command us to do something if the outcome of our choices is already predetermined? Yes, this is an interesting question.
I believe that the Holy Bible is complete and everything in it is there for a reason and everything in it is written for me. And so as I read it, I need to be thinking about how it applies to me and what it means to me. The biblical authors convey peoples thoughts, feelings, and their actions and their reasons for them. And the Biblical authors also convey God's thoughts and actions. They do coexist. The difficulty I have always seen is to what degree do they coexist. It is like there is a perfect explanation I am waiting for. So the authors put forth that man is fully responsible for his actions and yet that the Lord's way is comprehensive and he establishes everything that ever happens.
This verse in Proverbs 16 expresses those two ideals. In the first half of the verse, "the plans of the heart belong to man." Man makes plans. He sets out a course for what he wants to do, needs to do, would like to do. I get up in the morning, I think about my day and I think about how my day will be ordered. I think about what I will work on during that day. Will I clean the garage or sit on the couch? Will I kiss my wife or not? Will I praise my kids or not see a reason to praise them and say nothing? Throughout the day I am making decisions, I am making plans. Right now, I had a choice, to read the Word, think about, ponder it or I could have simply gone outside to work or into the garage to work. But, I chose to start my day in God's word because I want to connect with God and learn from Him and meet Him.
But then the 2nd half of the verse hits me, "the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." There is not simply a plan, there is also an answer. There is a result. There is an outcome. These outcomes fit into his will. This is the reality. God has a will. He has an outcome. He has a result.
And this is my conclusion: I do not know how those two ideas co-exist. They do. Paul teaches that He "works all things according to the counsel of his will." Paul says, "All things work together for good." I studied Ecclesiastes 3 to see that there is time for events under the sun. These times will happen. God wants me to enjoy myself, but also recognize that he is in control. There was the study of Proverbs 21:1 - The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. God moves, but man remains accountable. The Bible is clear that God listens to our prayers (I will say of late I have been thinking more about how I am to pray and what words I am to use). In October I looked at this verse from Proverbs 16 as well, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." There is the same idea. Man makes a choice, but its outcome if from the Lord.
All I know is I must keep going. I must keep studying God and His word. I must keep trying to improve my ways and work on my life. God has given me the Holy Spirit to help me in my life. I must continue to get to know God and live for Him. And through it all, through all of the circumstances, God is in charge of the outcomes and results of my life. He understand why it all works together the way it does. He knows why my family can have great times together and then why my son fails a class at school. He keeps me safe and yet when someone or something dies and is no longer in my life, I can still trust Him. This is His world. I am His vessel in His world. I am here for Him.
Promise: At the end of every decision, every plan, every outcome, I look to heaven and I say, "This is your outcome. Teach me to accept it and trust You through it and show me what my response to your outcome should be. My desire is to glorify You in this world.
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