Sovereignty and Free Will

Sovereignty and Free Will

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1

Sitting in the counseling office, seeking to offer comfort and hope to another hurting person distressed over the wayward choices of a loved one, I offer the truth of our day's scripture. God holds the heart of kings in His hand and He turns it as He chooses. If He holds the kings heart, surely he holds the hearts of our loved ones. Not only does He hold the heart of our loved one but He can change the heart of our loved one.
Invariably, the reply I get is "Yeah but, God also gave us free will right?" Right, but does free will negate the sovereignty of God? It cannot be or sovereignty is not sovereignty.
Today's verse: "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" is recorded in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. Free will is not a recent concept that God threw in as an afterthought. Free will was just as present when Proverbs 21:1 was penned as it is today.
How do these two truths coincide? How do God's sovereignty and man's free will co-exist, both being true? It is a mystery. Why would we expect to be able to understand all the things of God? He is God after all, and God says they both are true, therefore we know both are true.
Let us not negate the sovereignty of God in the lives of our loved ones by believing the lie that their free will gives them greater power in their lives that God.
We need to ask ourselves the question: Do I believe that God is sovereign in the life of my loved one despite the free will God has given them?
If we choose to take God at His word, believing that His sovereignty and our free will somehow work together, we can pray in great hope and faith for loved ones.
Diane