Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
This proverb belongs to Solomon's proverbs in the last fifteen chapters of Proverbs, composed about the year 1000 as part of the three thousand proverbs he wrote, and it stands just before the collection beginning at chapter 25 that was copied by Hezekiah's scribes.
The Lord directs a person's goings and steps, ordering his life and disposing of his destiny, including his surroundings and encounters. Because the Lord so directs his way, a man cannot by himself fully understand, control, or guide his own course or discern where it is leading.
Even a familiar task or path requires fresh divine guidance, for the Lord alone can keep a person from falling and make the way succeed. Life's circumstances and relationships are a schooling appointed by God, so a person's task is to learn each day's lesson, adapt to circumstances, and both help others and receive help. An unexpected interruption should therefore be received as part of the Lord's plan, trusting His direction even when its purpose is not yet clear.
This proverb belongs to Solomon's proverbs in the last fifteen chapters of Proverbs, composed about the year 1000 as part of the three thousand proverbs he wrote, and it stands just before the collection beginning at chapter 25 that was copied by Hezekiah's scribes.
The Lord directs a person's goings and steps, ordering his life and disposing of his destiny, including his surroundings and encounters. Because the Lord so directs his way, a man cannot by himself fully understand, control, or guide his own course or discern where it is leading.
Even a familiar task or path requires fresh divine guidance, for the Lord alone can keep a person from falling and make the way succeed. Life's circumstances and relationships are a schooling appointed by God, so a person's task is to learn each day's lesson, adapt to circumstances, and both help others and receive help. An unexpected interruption should therefore be received as part of the Lord's plan, trusting His direction even when its purpose is not yet clear.