Man's goings of the Lord

Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way? Prov. 20:24

Verses like this should be deeply comforting to God's children. Here the Wise Man tells us that "man's goings are of the Lord." This is stated in the widest possible terms - there is no one for whom this is not true. In other words, even the wicked can only go so far, and they are hemmed about by God's providence and are not allowed to take even a step that will not ultimately redound to the glory of God and the good of his people.

But how much more comforting it is to know that this is true of all of God's people, down to the most insignificant ones! Our goings are of the Lord. "He leadeth me, O blessed thought!" Our Father is concerned with every step we take, and is intimately aware of every path we traverse. He knows down to the detail what we need, even before we ask (Mt. 6:32). He is watching us with all the solicitude that a loving parent has for their children. He will keep us while we wend our way to heaven and bring us to glory when we die.

"How can a man then understand his own way?" Solomon indicates here that the wisdom that guides us is a hidden wisdom, and that it is God's secret will that ultimately explains the path we take. It is another version of what James said, when he argues that we ought to say, "If the Lord will, we will do this, or that" (Jam. 4:15).

A lot of people want complete sovereignty over their lives, but I for one am glad that we all live under the umbrella of God's holy and wise sovereignty. With Job, we may not be able to understand our ways, but God knows the way that we take, and when we come through the furnace of whatever trials we are facing, we can be sure that we will come forth as gold. I may not understand my way, but that is okay: God does!