"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." (Proverbs 21: 1)
Do you know that you are a king, Beloved?
Not because of your birth to your parents on earth, but because of your rebirth and adoption in Christ Jesus:
"For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." (Psalm 5: 12)
The word "compass" also means crown as well as surround.
We have been crowned with royal favor because of Jesus' death on the Cross, His resurrection from the dead, and our new standing in Him at the right hand of God the Father.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)
and
"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." (1 Corinthians 15: 21)
Because of their standing in Christ, yet their indifference to the needs of others, Paul gently chided the Corinthians:
"Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you." (1 Corinthians 4: 8)
In Revelation, John witnesses the elders worshipping the Lord:
"8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5: 8-10)
Jesus has crowned us, and the only thing we can do is to say "Thank You" and give the crown back to Him.
Because of Jesus, we are kings and priests:
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" (1 Peter 2: 9)
Now, since we are kings, do we have a river in our hearts?
Of course we do: His Holy Spirit!
"37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet giventhat shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16: 13)
Yet we cannot discern the leading of the Spirit if we are not established in the righteousness of God in Christ, which is by faith, not by our works:
"7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." (John 16: 7-11)
The Spirit of God affirms our righteous standing before God, and thus our new standing as sons of God:
"15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8: 15-17)
Sons of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, which include our majestic standing of king and priest.
In order to understanding the flow of the river, so to speak, you have to walk in the truth that in Christ, all sins have been put away, you are convicted of righteousness, and you are a king and priest in Him:
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)
Now that we have His Spirit living in us, we have His will and power to do what He wants us to do:
"12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 12-13)
When we receive His Spirit, we have His standing, and thus His understanding for all that He wants to lead us to do:
"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2: 20)
and
"27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)
One more thing about Proverbs 21: 1. . .
The heart of a king is a river, or "peleg" in Hebrew.
The first mention of "peleg" in the Bible occurs here:
"When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;" Job 29: 6)
Even though in this passage Job is praising Himself, the truth is that we all have this anointing oil within us, which speaks of the gift of righteousness, the Spirit of God, within us. Anointing oil speaks of our kingship and royal bearing, too.
This river appears a second time in the First Psalm:
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1: 3)
When we follow the river within our hearts, we can be sure that God is leading us to wealth and prosperity, even during times of adversity.
God turns the heart of kings live a river. The Proverb also bears out the sense of turning it to His pleasure, and God's greatest pleasure is to prosper us:
"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)
Today, Beloved, rest in the truth that God is guiding in your heart, and He is turning your heart to favor you in all things.