“The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord…A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:1, 9).
In Scripture, the providence of God is clearly affirmed (Mat. 6:25-34; Rom. 8:28) and repeatedly displayed (Gen. 37-50; Ruth; Esther). To doubt it is to fail to take God at His word. For anyone to believe himself capable of plumbing the depths of divine providence and explaining its processes is to believe folly. Every human would do well to study and believe what God has revealed on this subject and then leave the “secret things” (i.e., unrevealed matters) to the Lord our God (Deut. 29:29).
One of the challenges of this profound truth is the Bible’s clear affirmations that God is sovereign in our world and acts providentially within it, without violating the free moral agency of any human. Jesus’ crucifixion, for example, occurred because evil men freely exercised their will, yet it occurred according to the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23). The affirmation of human free will to choose to do evil and be held responsible for it and the affirmation of God’s sovereignty and providence are both true.
This is vitally important to remember when devising plans. It is not sinful to make plans or preparations for the future (Mat. 25:1-13). It is sinful to be presumptuous when making them (James 4:13-14). It is egregiously unwise to believe your plans are flawless and/or that God through His wisdom, love, and providence cannot work together for your good a different plan which is vastly superior to yours.
Human free will crucified Jesus of Nazareth. Divine providence raised Him on the third day and exalted Him to God’s right hand, so that all can know that the crucified Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:23, 33, 36).
