Why You Can’t Go It Alone (Proverbs 15:22)
Listen Here:
Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
One of the great illusions of our age is that we can chart our course alone. We admire the self-made person, the rugged individual who doesn’t need anybody. A little Kelly Clarkson “Miss independent..miss self-sufficent”. But Proverbs punctures that myth. That might sound good Kelly, but it’s stupid. Proverbs tells us plainly: without counsel, plans fail. With many advisers, they succeed.
Yesterday we looked at the only prayer in Proverbs, where protection against deceit — whether that be in ourselves or our circumstances — can really throw us off guard. And today’s proverb picks up the same theme. It’s about the wisdom of healthy self-distrust. The humility to say: “I cannot be the captain, navigator, and crew of my own ship.”
Picture it like this: a lone ship cutting across the open sea. The captain grips the wheel, certain of his direction. He has no crew, no team, because he thinks he’s the man and doesn’t need one. But in the black of night, no lantern can reveal the reefs — the dangers — that lurk beneath. Had he had a team, he would’ve had more eyes and perspectives to see his situation more clearly. He thinks he’s fine alone, but sooner or later, the ship will run aground. That’s what happens when pride convinces us that our perspective is enough.
But if you did bring in a crew — eyes on the horizon, hands at the ropes, voices that cry warning when danger looms — suddenly the same storm that would’ve sunk you becomes survivable. That’s the gift of godly counsel. It’s not weakness to need many voices; it’s humility. It’s the healthy self-distrust that admits, “I might not see everything. But God has placed people in my life who can help me see what I cannot.”
That’s why Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 says: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up… A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” In other words, community is not optional — it’s survival.
It’s funny because I’m a very rational thinker; I’ve always been black and white in how I see things, and sometimes I try to make formulas from a God who is not formulaic. I’m tempted to do it here, only because there’s a pattern to success. Maybe not a formula, but a pattern. And that pattern is that many eyes and many minds are the A and B that put you in the best spot for C… many successes.
And here’s the gospel connection: this isn’t just a smart strategy; it’s how God wired the world. Even Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t walk His mission in isolation. He prayed to His Father for direction, leaned on His disciples for companionship in His darkest hour, and anchored Himself in Scripture at every step. And if the perfect Son of God did not choose to go it alone, why should we?
In fact, God didn’t and doesn’t intend for us to do life alone. Christianity is not an individual sport.
So here’s today’s reflection question:
Where in your life are you gripping the wheel too tightly, insisting you can steer alone?
And who are the wise voices you could invite aboard your ship?
Let’s pray.
“Lord, protect me from the pride of thinking I see clearly on my own. Surround me with wise voices who will help me stay the course. Teach me the humility to listen, and the courage to follow godly counsel. And thank You, Jesus, that You are not just my Captain but my Compass, guiding me safely home. Amen.”
