The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.The king’s heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
4 sermons cite this verse
Do you remember that little proverb that's tucked away in Proverbs 21? It says, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, and like the courses of water, he turns it wherever he wishes. No ruler sitting anywhere is out of the control of God. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, and like the courses of water, he turns it wherever he wishes. and he turns the king's heart. What is your request? It shall be given to you up to half my kingdom. So Esther answered, if it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him. Then the king said, bring Haman quickly, that he may, this is kind of fun, isn't it? That he may do as Esther has said, so the queen and Haman, the king and Haman, you don't have to repeat that, that was my bad, went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. Persian kings notoriously were protective of their wives. …
… great king. He says, I know why this happened. Praise be to God. God made this happen. Proverbs 21.1, the Lord directs the heart of the king as he moves the water courses. It's not a hard thing for God to direct the political affairs of a nation. So, he interprets this, not as a stroke of good luck, but as the Lord's hand. And then second, he understands that God, verse 28, has extended to me his steadfast love. Who am I, this great man with this great pedigree, with this great skill, and yet he's humble of heart to say, who am I that I should be given such a noble task? Who am I that I should be an instrument of God's grace? And so he took courage, God's goodness increases our valor. So, I want you to see part of understanding the providence of God is not just confidence in the present or looking with hope to the future. It's how to interpret everything that's happened to you in the past. …
… what is God's will? And here's what Proverbs 21.1 says. Let me give you this verse. Jot it down, read it. This is a cornerstone verse for me. If you've been a part of this church any length of time, I've talked about it a thousand times. This today is a thousand and one. Because I've talked about it many times because it's a verse that has shaped my life. Proverbs 21.1 says, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water, he turns it wherever he wishes. I believe God gives direction for our lives through our authorities. The king in this passage represents the authorities in our life. And the scripture is telling us God controls the heart. Every major decision I ever made in my life, God used the authorities in my life to give me a sense of direction for it. God is speaking to you, but you ain't even listening. Because you don't recognize how God communicates. The king's heart, the person that is in a position of authority, God controls their heart. …
… Yeah. one of the cornerstone verses of my life is Proverbs 21.1. I have made so much has helped me with Proverbs 21.1. The king's heart is in the hands of the Lord and like the rivers of water, he turns it wherever he wishes. So God used the authorities in my life. That's what the king means. The king is a person in authority. God uses the authorities in my life to give me a sense of direction for my life. and I'm grateful that my parents and the authorities in my life, but in particular I talk about my father. My father helped me discern that Trina was supposed to be my wife. And I'm grateful when he said to me one day, I'm so glad you chose Trina. Yeah. And here we are 44 years later. 44 years. and I'm grateful because that he said that because he helped bring clarity because you know I had hundreds of women chasing after me I was having difficulty trying to weed through all of the choices. …