Aiming for the Bullseye
A New Commentary on Proverbs 16:1-9.
beIn their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
-Proverbs 16:9
I remember a time in a “be all you can be” type of seminar. We’d been together long enough to stand in a circle, facing one another, and share the dreams of our hearts. No matter who shared, white or blue collar, Christian or non-Christian, young or old, they shared beautiful dreams; dreams that were generous, kind, and giving. Yet not one of us was taking action to make those dreams a reality. We felt overwhelmed by mundane things, just trying to get by.
Let’s be honest. We have dreams for the next year, but we don’t know how to ensure they’re fulfilled. We may have plans to achieve those goals, but we can’t control whether they’ll be completed or not. Even those we do manage to complete are, more often than not, achieved in a different way than we thought they would be. We may have planned in January, but the December results are a surprise. So, why bother with goals at all?
Some Christians use the Proverbs passage above to deal with their frustration. Why plan anything if our plans are so rarely accomplished in the way we want them to be? Why put energy into that when it’s the Lord who determines our steps? We should focus on following God instead.
It is too much to interpret Proverbs 16:9 this way. Many chapters in Proverbs offer a smorgasbord of individual verses from which to choose. Chapter 16:1-9 provides the reader with a “set menu.” That is, verse 9 is part of a wider passage that teaches how followers of God make goals.
First, this wider section of Proverbs, at the center of the entire book, assumes that we all make plans:
To humans belong the plans of the heart…1a
All a person’s ways seem pure to them…2a
Commit to the Lord whatever you do…3a
In their hearts humans plan their course…9a
The Bible affirms the responsibility to plan our goals and decide where we’re going to direct our energies.
So, what are your plans for this new year? Have you put your hopes and dreams for the next twelve months into words?
Second, this passage assumes that our motives for those goals are unclear, even to us:
but motives are weighed by the Lord. -16:2b
and he will establish your plans. -16:3b
but the Lord establishes their steps. -16:9b
I have an overall life metric. Rather than choosing an overall metric for myself, I have decided to follow the words of Jesus at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer with “Hallow God’s Name.” I am pretty sure I can’t go wrong with that.
Third, this section in Proverbs offers three types of guidance we can use to develop goals under this metric.
Two proverbs help with the kind of goals we should aim for:
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided. -16:6
Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice. -16:8
Over the years, I have developed three goals that I am reasonably confident come from a good place in my heart:
Personal: A Rhythm of Life which Embodies Shalom
Home: Casa Lovejoy As A Little Monastery in the World
Skilled Labor: Fruitful Adventures
For this year, the third goal, Fruitful Adventures, includes the following objectives:
Substack subscriptions for MakeGoodHappen with Randy Lovejoy to 1,000.
The first chapters of my second book will be published on Substack:
30 posts.
Opportunities for my Substack Subscribers to suggest edits to each post.
Publish posts of key passages of Isaiah with applications for paid subscribers.
The goal is more sustainability than profit. Working toward achieving these goals will require me to use my skills and experience in faithfulness to God and for the love of others. I pray that God will use what I write to help others, as they have helped me.
Two additional proverbs offer guidance on the role God will play in my dreams and plans:
The Lord works out everything to its proper end—
even the wicked for a day of disaster. -16:4
The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. -16:5
So, I won’t assume I can achieve these things by my own expertise, but will instead lift these goals up in prayer, so the Lord will take them where they need to go.
Finally, two other proverbs help us test our goals. The first one is quite practical.
To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. -16:1
This makes me think of those moments, in the heat of passionate discussion, when I have said something that surprised me. The idea behind this proverb is that this experience is one of the methods God uses to adjust our goals and plans.
The second of the two proverbs is interesting and unexpected:
When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
he causes their enemies to make peace with them. -16:7
Moving forward, unopposed, can be a sign that God is taking pleasure in the way I am going. That’s encouraging! The other side of this coin is that if I am really struggling, I need to spend some time with God to see if something needs to shift or if I should persevere through the trouble.
After prayerfully reviewing my goals and objectives in light of Proverbs 16:1-9, I am even more excited about my planned “fruitful adventure” for this year.
So, while it is early in the year, be sure to reflect prayerfully on your goals with this passage. Make adjustments as necessary, and then move forward with new confidence that God will guide you through all the mundane responsibilities in life and ensure that, by December, what needs to happen will have happened.
And this is just one of the many blessings of committing your ways to God!
