The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will. -Proverbs 21:1

The Nature of Our Hearts

If I hold a drop of water in my hand, and I tilt my hand this way or that, what happens? The water moves. Did I exert any energy on the water to force it to move in a certain direction? No. The water moves freely, of its own accord and according to its nature. Everyone knows that it is the nature of water to move downward, following the path of least resistance, and it will never, ever deviate from this pattern. If I tilt my hand to the side, I can be 100% certain that the water will not flow upward, or parallel to my palm, or outward into the air. No, it will roll downward, because that is the nature of water.

Our hearts are the same way. While we have free will to choose whatever we like, our hearts operate according to a set of predictable principles. And chief among them is the truth that we will always choose what we desire most in any situation. We may sometimes choose something bad or even destructive, but we will always choose that which we think is the most fitting, most appropriate choice in every single context we find ourselves in. That is the nature of our hearts—i.e. our minds and wills. (See R.C. Sproul’s What Is Free Will?)

And it is no different for the “kings” of the earth—in other words, those that wield authority and power. Whether they are godly or ungodly, righteous or wicked, dignified or depraved, they will always choose according to what they feel is best, most desirable, and most fitting. They cannot and will not ever choose anything else, but will always act freely according to their own desires, because that is an essential part of what it means to be human.

We Choose, But God Is In Control

Perhaps now we can see better the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our free will. In the book of Exodus, it is said both that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Which is it? Proverbs 21:1 has the answer. God tilted his hand, and Pharoah’s heart moved accordingly. God did not cause Pharoah to sin by overriding his will and forcing him to choose that which he would not have chosen otherwise. Rather, He simply removed His restraining grace—which was undeserved and could be revoked at any time—and Pharoah freely chose to follow the path of rebellion and disobedience.

My point is this: God is ultimately in total control, no matter who ends up in office. He has directed the hearts of every leader who ever lived, both the wise and the wicked. Nero’s heart was a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. Charlemagne’s heart was a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. Abraham Lincoln’s heart was a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. Even Hitler’s heart was a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. Just as there is no such thing as a rogue molecule in all the vastness of the Universe, there is no human leader that can ultimately resist His will.

So rest assured that whoever takes power next, they will in no way be able to thwart or supersede the plans of Almighty God. Don’t be afraid of what the kings and rulers of the earth may do (or not do), because they are powerless to act apart from His good purposes. And while much suffering may result from their choices, all such suffering will one day be redeemed. “All things work together for good” means that God will one day show how the crucibles of this life were all for the purpose of forging an imperishable alloy of infinite divine glory to God, and eternal praise and thankfulness in our hearts. May the Lord Himself direct the waters of our hearts to worship and obey Him, to the praise of His glory!