Where did the expression come from: “Man proposes, but God disposes”?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

The source of this expression is Holy Bible. In the Book of Proverbs it is written: “Many are the plans in the heart of man, but only what the Lord has determined will come to pass” (Proverbs 19:21). In the formulation given in the question, the saying is first found in the book “The Imitation of Christ,” the author of which most researchers consider Thomas a à Kempis (c. 1380 - 1471): “The righteous in their intention are established more on the grace of God than on their own wisdom; and they place their trust in God, no matter what they undertake, for man proposes, but God disposes, and his way is not in man (Jer. 10:23).” (Book 1. Chapter XIX: On the exercise of a good monk). This book was written in Latin. In Latin the saying goes like this: Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit.

This saying indicates the Providence of God in relation to each person. Human plans, even the most well-thought-out ones, are imperfect and changeable. God always works for the good of everyone.

1–15. Parables of various contents about wealth and poverty, prudence and stupidity, etc. 16–29. Parables related in content to charity, education, etc.

. Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a [rich] man with lying lips and a fool at that.

. It is not good for a soul without knowledge, and those who are in a hurry will stumble.

. Man's stupidity perverts his path, and his heart is indignant at the Lord.

. Wealth brings many friends, but the poor man remains his friend.

. A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever tells a lie will not be saved.

. Many curry favor with nobles, and everyone is a friend to the person who gives gifts.

. The poor man is hated by all his brothers, and even more so his friends move away from him: he chases after them to talk, but that doesn’t happen either.

. He who gains understanding loves his soul; whoever observes prudence finds good.

. A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever tells a lie will perish.

. Splendor is indecent for a fool, much less for a slave to have dominion over princes.

. Prudence makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to be lenient towards wrongdoing.

. The king's anger is like the roar of a lion, and his favor is like dew on the grass.

. A foolish son is his father's ruin, and a contentious wife is a waste pipe.

. House and property are an inheritance from parents, and a reasonable wife is from the Lord.

. Laziness makes you drowsy, and a careless soul will suffer hunger.

Art. 1 is repeated almost verbatim in - with the difference that in this last place in the second half of the verse there is the word “rich” - ashir, not “stupid” – kesil, like here. Only the reading corresponds to the context of the speech, which is why the reading of a given passage should be corrected accordingly, as they do in LXX, Vulg., slav. 2–3 tbsp. highlight the idea that well-being is possible for a person only with prudence and prudence. Art. 4, 6–7 note the always and everywhere present phenomenon of everyday experience - the fact of the universal admiration of people for wealth and the rich and disdain for the poor (fn.). Art. 5 contains an interpolated thought about the crime of perjury (cf.); about the same thing - and Art. 9. Art. 10 refers to the frequent cases in the ancient and modern East of the instant elevation of a slave to the position of ruler; The Wise One condemns such a phenomenon not in itself, but insofar as physical slavery can easily be combined with slavery of the spirit, in particular with stupidity; The idea is that for the possession of goods - wealth, power and the like - there must be preparation in the form of education. Art. 11–15 contain a number of empirical observations from the areas of private, public and political life.

. He who keeps the commandment preserves his soul, but he who is heedless of his ways will perish.

. He who does good to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for his good deed.

. Punish your son while there is hope, and do not be indignant at his cry.

. Let the angry one suffer punishment, because if you spare him, you will have to punish him even more.

. Listen to advice and accept reproof, so that you may later become wise.

. There are many plans in the human heart, but only those determined by the Lord will take place.

. A man's joy is his charity, and a poor man is better than a deceitful one.

. The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it will always be content, and evil will not befall him.

. The lazy person puts his hand into the cup and does not want to bring it to his mouth.

. If you punish a blasphemer, then the simple will become prudent; and if you rebuke a wise man, he will understand the instruction.

. He who ruins his father and drives out his mother is a shameful and dishonest son.

. Stop, my son, listening to suggestions about evading the sayings of reason.

. The wicked witness mocks the court, and the lips of the wicked swallow lies.

. Judgments are ready for those who blaspheme, and beatings on the body of fools.

At the head of all rules is the keeping of the commandments of the law (of Moses), in which, according to the legislator himself (), which the Wise One often speaks of in other places (). According to the spirit of antiquity and the Old Testament, in the system of education the Wise One allowed corporal punishment, but He warns parents against extremes and abuses in this regard (v. 18) - the Apostle does this in a similar way (); the more persistent the admonition to the children in charge (v. 20). Art. 21 turns the thought of a person striving to improve his life by all measures and means, to the one Lord of the world and life - God: human plans, the most thoughtful, are characterized by variability and instability; immutable, unchangeable is only the command of God (cf.), by which He controls everything (cf.). Art. 22 depicts inner side charity - a feeling of sincere disposition of the benefactor towards the poor, whereas above (v. 17) only remuneration for charity was spoken of. Art. 23 once again represents a reminder of the main (in the Old Testament) virtue - the fear of God and its salvation for man (cf.). Art. 24 is almost literally repeated below in (cf.) and refers to the custom of the East - not to use forks and knives when eating. The final verses (25–29) speak of listeners who are morally incapable of receiving the teaching of wisdom and contain a warning against being carried away by their examples (v. 27).

aaa) interesting to understand Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in the heart of a man... interesting place Bible, how to understand it? definitely only God, man has freedom of choice, God just knows in advance what man will freely choose. If there is a share of such irreversible predestination in our destinies, then looking at people’s lives, at the world, at the existing destroyed destinies, lives, it is very clear that they were not arranged by God, the plans of the path and their end, not by His Plan. And God gave man freedom of choice. And He has His path for man, but man has the right to always refuse and choose his own path. Maybe a certain thing will come true, this means that God is outside of time and He already knows?.. and this place can be in vain used to console oneself, one’s stupidities, erroneous decisions based on anything, wrong choices and actions, mistakes, in order to get away from the feeling of loss , and not condemn your mistakes or inaction in yourself))), amusing your carnal nature, that everything was good and God planned it, “He has such a plan for you..”)) this is perceived by many as if it were a subconscious attitude to the soul and mind “don’t change yourself, it’s not about you and your decisions and actions... it’s about God who planned all this and it unconditionally comes true, it’s all God... everything is according to plan and you’re doing everything right”... ahaha)) but in this case, we would not know sin, which translates as “missing the target”, we would miss... and we would live in what God intended, regardless of the many plans.))) Christians often use this place as an excuse for their stupidity and mistakes, inaction when something is needed strain and do it and don’t focus on yourself and listen to your ego caressing your ears with rose-colored excuses.. isn’t it? including me. but what does it say? Can anyone enlighten me? God has a plan, a life plan for every person, but it is NOT a fact that it will be embodied in reality!!!... after all, you can always choose any path, a loving God keeps the door open for exit from Him and entrance, isn’t it? ? Yes, He is not a man, He is ready to accept you in any condition at any stage of your journey, forgive all mistakes and set you on the path that He has planned for you. His whole attitude of intention and His plan are saturated with love, if you turn from yours, He restores, and even turns bad things into good, but it all depends on the decisions you choose, God takes into account our will or.. If I’m wrong and don’t see something.. Anyone enlighten me, explain this rebus in detail)) (I’ll say everything about everything, I wrote without meaning to address it to an individual,) and I’ll be glad if I’m interested if someone can objectively reveal this place.

Proverbs 19:21 There are many plans in the human heart, but only those determined by the Lord will take place.

Why did God, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who created the universe, decide to create man? Why do you need a person? We will know the exact answer only when we meet the Lord.
God decided to create man in His image and likeness. Every person has qualities, character traits that are inherent in God.
When children are born, a person tries to do everything in his power, directing all his attention to the children.
The conflict between children and parents begins when children or parents begin to impose their will. There are many plans in the heart of man, both in parents and children, but only what is determined by the Lord will be accomplished. The conflict between man and God begins when man's plans do not correspond to God's. A person makes plans for the future, but only what the Lord has determined for him will happen.
The Book of Proverbs is the wisdom that fills and changes everyone.
How do we know what of our plans is included in God's plans for us?
If we pray, but do not receive, then resentment towards God may creep in. And then we don’t even say it in prayer anymore.

1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the boldness we have toward Him, that when we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And when we know that He listens to us in everything we ask, we also know that we receive what we ask from Him.

We receive an answer when our desires and requests correspond to the will of God. If you know the will of God, then no depression can take you away. What do we ask God for today? We pray at random, there is no boldness. Boldness does not lie in what we ask, but in the fact that we know that we will receive what we ask, i.e. We are sure that we will receive from God. When our prayer is in accordance with the will of God, then He listens to us. Without doing the will of God, it is impossible to be happy on earth, because happiness lies in doing the will of God. By doing the will of the Father, Jesus won many people for God.

Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service,
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In order for us to be happy children of God, we need to give ourselves to God as a holy sacrifice pleasing to Him. If our body does not want to pray, we need to force ourselves for God’s sake.
Present your body to God, if you live for God, life will be blessed.
Life always offers us something, and 99% we choose of our own free will and then something doesn’t work out for us. Therefore, we need to offer our bodies as a sacrifice to God.
If our thoughts are more about the world, then we are world-like. If we have more about God, then when the choice arises, God's word will help us do it according to the will of God.
What are we living for? To enjoy temporary things? Our happiness lies in the will of God when we fulfill it. Living according to the will of God is a great gain.

HOW THE HOLY FIRE IS LIGHTED ️️ The appearance of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday on the eve of Easter for millions of believers is a sign that Jesus Christ is truly “Truly Risen.” The first mention of receiving the Holy Fire dates back to the founding of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the 4th century. And since then, this great miracle has not been interrupted for a single year. The very process of the appearance of the Holy Fire in the temple is under the zealous supervision of the police and civil authorities of Jerusalem. On the eve of Good Friday, all candles and lights in the temple are extinguished. A lamp filled with oil and with a lamp in a float, but without fire, is placed on the bed of the Tomb inside the Edicule. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and ribbons are placed along the edges of the Coffin. Then the room of the Edicule is carefully inspected and then sealed until Holy Saturday. On Holy Saturday, many pilgrims gather in the temple, awaiting the miracle of the appearance of the Holy Fire. According to tradition, the Greek Orthodox patriarchs and Armenian Church enter into the Edicule. Before entering the Edicule, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church unmasked and left in one cassock, he is examined and felt from head to toe in order to avoid falsification of the miracle and not allow the introduction of flammable objects, in his hands he only has two bunches of candles. And only after this the seal from the Tomb is removed and the patriarch is allowed into the Edicule to receive the Holy Fire. The Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church enters the boundaries of the Holy Sepulcher, where he prays for the sending of the Holy Fire. The Patriarch of the Armenian Church is in the limit of the Angel and makes sure that the Greek Patriarch does not kindle the fire using natural means. It is dark in Edicule and the patriarch alone prays to the Savior in complete silence. Prayer always lasts differently, from several minutes to several hours. And suddenly, in the darkness, small fiery sparks flare up on the bed of the Life-Giving Coffin, turning into a fire from which the cotton wool, ribbons and lamp prepared the day before light up. From the fire that has arisen, the patriarch lights bunches of candles and passes Holy Fire pilgrims waiting in the temple. When the Holy Fire appears, like a thunderclap, a roar of joy and delight is heard throughout the entire Temple of the Resurrection of Christ. Believers gathered in anticipation of a miracle hold bunches of candles in crayfish, usually at least 33 pieces according to the number of Christ’s earthly years. From this, the entire temple is illuminated with the light of the Holy Fire. In the first minutes, fire has a wonderful property - it does not burn. Therefore, pilgrims wash their faces and hands with fire, without fear of causing themselves any harm. The Holy Fire, which descended in the Temple of the Resurrection, is transported from Jerusalem on special flights around the world, rushing to be in time for the holidays. Easter services. At airports different countries he is met by government delegations, representatives of the clergy and ordinary believers who want to receive a piece of the Holy Fire. In Edicule, the Holy Fire received on Holy Saturday is maintained for a whole year and is extinguished only on the eve of the next Holy Saturday. And every believer can come to the Church of the Resurrection for a whole year and light a bunch of candles from the fire. Then the bundle is usually extinguished, and the candles burned by the Holy Fire are carried by pilgrims throughout to the globe like the greatest shrine. It should be noted that receiving the Holy Fire occurs only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch. They say that in 1579 representatives of the Armenian Church agreed with the new authorities of Jerusalem that they would be given the right to receive the Holy Fire. This year, representatives of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church were not even allowed into the Temple. Representatives of the Armenian Church entered Edicule and began to fervently pray for the descent of the Holy Fire, but their prayers were never heard. Representatives of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church also prayed fervently at the closed gates of the Temple. And this year, for the first time, the Holy Fire descended not in the Edicule, but through one of the marble columns at the entrance to the Temple, and splitting it lit candles in the hands of the Orthodox Patriarch. This split column can still be seen on the left side of the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.