Proverbs 21:1-3 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (2) Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. (3) To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."
Solomon states a fact in these verses that we often are prone to overlook. It's
simple and straightforward: "God is in control." He will always have
the final say and His determinations will always be correct. He has the ability
to turn the heart of the king (leader) in any direction that He chooses. That
is true concerning all of us. Our hearts are in His hands. I'm thankful for
that. There are times He seems to allow us to make wrong decisions. We saw back
in chapters 14 and 16, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but
the end thereof are the ways of death." Lessons are to be learned
from that to bring us to the place where our ways are in agreement with
Him. If we so choose, we can find justification (in our own eyes) for
everything; but the counsel of the Lord is that which is true. Again, we can
try to justify our actions, but God looks beyond the actions into our hearts.
What is our motivation? In God's eyes, our motivation should be to make good
choices and do what is right. This lesson is to the point today, but it seems
to be a difficult one to follow at times. "He hath shewed thee, O man,
what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to
love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)