“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Proverbs 21:1(KJV)
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Two different translations give a little different perspective, but the idea is the same: The heart of any ruler, authority, President, king, or dictator is in the hand of the Lord. It is like a river that He can turn in whichever direction He wills.
I heard a sweet missionary wife talk about this verse many years ago. It made a lasting impression on me, and has carried me through some times when it was easy to doubt, easy to fear that God was no longer in control.
For you married women, I think we can apply this verse to our husbands. Their hearts are in the hand of God! He will direct them however He chooses. Our job, then, is not to direct; it is to obey God, and pray that our husbands will be open to God’s direction. We need to pray that our men will have wisdom, and godly discernment.
The heart of a pastor is in the hand of God. We need to pray for our pastors. They need wisdom, discernment, patience, humility, and respect. It is not our job to direct them. It is God’s job to do that, but without our interceding in prayer for our pastors, they may make choices we don’t always like.
The heart of a boss wherever we work is in the hand of the Lord. For me, the hearts of my clients are in the hand of the Lord. I pray for all my active clients every week, asking God for them to be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit; also asking God to guide my thinking and my words, because my heart is also in the hand of the Lord.
Are you single? Widowed, divorced, or just waiting for God to send you Mr. Right? Whatever the case maybe, we can pray that whatever God has planned for us, the men involved will have open hearts and spirits to the prompting of God.
It is true that this verse specifically mentioned kings. National leaders. Rulers. Civil authority. But I don’t think it’s a mistake to apply it to all aspects of leadership or authority in our lives.
I am thankful that God’s hand contains the hearts of kings, and that He directs them like rivers, in whatever direction He chooses.