"The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."
{Proverbs 21:1} (NIV 1984)
The king of Israel was sovereign over his people, and held the power of life and death for all his subjects. Solomon’s signature act of wisdom, determining which woman was the baby’s mother, only worked because the mother believed the king would kill the baby. In our culture, the idea that one person holds this much power is abhorrent to us! Our preference for the counsel of many, gives us parliaments who make the laws, and juries who render verdicts. We see our southern neighbours debating the power of a president to order drone kills of individuals, and we are vaguely uncomfortable with the thought.
Whether we accept it or not, the truth is that single individuals all around the world hold the power of life and death over others. This verse declares God’s power over these powerful individuals! Proverbs presents the heart as the centre of a person’s will. It is like deep waters, we can’t discern it, but God searches it and not only does He understand what makes a king make decisions, but God directs their decision making centre, as a human directs water in a ditch.
Friend, would you like to influence the most powerful individuals in the world to do God’s will? Pray for them, that God would direct them and cause His will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven! (1 Tim 2:1,2)
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