In the Lord ’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.   A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.   To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. – Proverbs 21:1-3

This is an intriguing little passage. The idea of God channeling a person’s heart is somewhat new in my recollection of the part of the bible I have floated so far (Genesis to Proverbs).

Anyone who has watched a stream flow onto a beach has no doubt been mesmerized by the amazing shifting of the water course, or channel. Most natural rivers have channels that move as well, but the rate at which they move is quite variable.

God in this passage is the great “channel” maker for the king’s heart. The “king” of this passage could be Solomon, a generic ruler, and even more broadly, all of us humans here on earth.  God can channel the hearts of anyone willing to be “channeled”. To paraphrase…we may think our own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. He knows the course we should follow and is willing to direct us there if we let Him.

When humans set out to channel or direct a river they can 1) dig a new channel and move the river; 2) fortify the banks of the river to prevent the channel from moving; or 3) they can “train” the river using what are referred to as bio-engineering methods.

The success of any of these methods depends on the dynamism of the river and the ability of the designer to know the river and how it works. God, being our “designer”, should be eminently qualified to channel our hearts, but sometimes He has some pretty dynamic rivers to work with.

Prayer: God channel our hearts and help us to be channeled by You.