Who is the first mover in the work of the sinner’s conversion? The great question is answered very clearly and concisely in the Proverbs of Solomon. Chapter sixteen and verse one, “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.” This is precisely what Paul teaches in Romans ten, verses six through ten, “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Thus we learn that the Spirit of God creates faith within the regenerated soul, stirs up the heart to believe, and impresses the tongue to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Who controls the affairs of the WORLD? The Bible says: “The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whitersoever He will” (Proverbs 21:1). There are many instances in the Scripture where this can be clearly seen. For example: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah” (Ezra 1:1-2). The proclamation was for the liberation of the Jews and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Seventy years was Israel to be in bondage, not a day longer, nor a day short. God moved the heart of a heathen king to accomplish His will. There is that classic example in Genesis twenty, when after Abraham’s spineless blunder, his wife Sarah, fell into the hands of Abimelech, King of Gerar. God came to the king in a dream and threatened him, then clearly stated that it was I who had “withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her” (Genesis 20:6). Oh yes, it is my God, the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, who controls nature, brute beast, and men, whether converted or unconverted, and angels, whether fallen or unfallen. You only have to read the Bible to learn this.
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