Proverbs 20:5,  Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Psalm 107:23,24, talks about deep water,  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.

The works and the wonders of the Lord are not available to the timid.

They are reserved for those who are willing to go down to the sea in ships.

Those who are willing to do business in great waters.

You will not be able see the wonders in the deep from the shore.

You must get in ships to see those.

The timid are only given to see shallow water.

There is not much mystery or wonder about water that you can see.

It is in front of you and what there is to know about it is apparent.

The timid soul can easily see what is in shallow water.

He can, without much effort know what lies on the bottom in shallow water.

He can reach down without getting his head under the water and learn what is in shallow water.

But deep water is mysterious and unknown to the casual observer.

In order to know what lies in the deep water,

or what lives and swims in the deep water,

or what mysteries lie in the deep water,

a man must make great effort to access the deep water.

He must go in over his head. He must put himself at risk.

At times his soul may be melted because of trouble in deep water.

The water may cause him to reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man the scriptures tell us.

The deep waters may bring him to his wit's end. It's a risky business in deep water.

Not only is this effort risky and time consuming but it takes great strength and investment to know anything about deep water.

But the rewards of those investments are worth the effort.

The divers who penetrate the deep sea are rewarded with views and experiences that the fearful or timid are never allowed to see.

The beautiful living creatures,

the unusual plant life, the great schools of fish,

the giant whales and exotic, creeping, sea creatures,

the great pressures of the sea that can crush,

are there for the one willing to take the risk

and the investment of time and great energy.

Our proverb tells us that counsel in the heart of man is like deep water.

There are thoughts and devices in it as much past numbering as the fishes and wonders of the sea.

God wants us to know the complexity of the heart and he tells us in this proverb to picture the complexity of deep water.

By the word of God alone we know that God searches the heart.

We know that God alone knows all the crevices and canyons and mountains and hidden places in the sea and in like manner he knows all the hidden places of the heart.

His eye immediately knows every thought and every purpose devised by our heart.

Although we are not given to know every thing about deep water, we are able and allowed to know some things about deep water.

By our efforts we are able to search out places in deep water.

Are we not capable of pulling up a bucket from a deep water well.

Are we not capable of putting on special equipment and diving into deep water?

Can we not enter a submarine and drop great distances into deep water to study the fishes and the subterranean mountain ranges?

We can know much about the marvels of deep water if we will to do so. We decide!

There are many things that we are given to know.

God does not keep things from us that we need to know.

He bountifully endows us with great opportunity to know.

He does not wish his children to be ignorant so he gives us the opportunity to have abilities we need to function in this world.

And that includes a limited knowledge of the hearts of men.

This proverb says that a man of understanding will draw counsel out of the heart of men.

In this verse the word counsel is better understood to mean deliberate purpose, or a deliberate plan, a design, reasons for what a man does.

This proverb can also be said: The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

Where is a person coming from? What does he really mean? Why is he doing that? What motivates him. What makes him tick?

A man of understanding cannot know all that God knows about your heart but he can know some things, just as he can know some things about the deep sea.

The key to knowing the purpose of a man's heart is understanding.

As a man who dares to dive to deep water is equipped and prepared to do so, the man who desires to know the purposes of the heart must also be equipped.

Equipping is necessary to know the heart.

And God is the equipper as Job 32:8 tells us,  But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

So understanding is available! The under standers are God instructed.

Through understanding we can find out where people are coming from, their thoughts, their purposes, their conjectures, their contrivances.

Proper understanding of another man's heart will affect our decisions greatly.

A man of understanding may know many things that are useful to be known about the purposes of those who wish to conceal them.

A man of understanding has a knowledge of human nature, he knows that man is a sinner.

That one knowledge allows him to draw deep from the heart of men.

Understanding helps him in his dealings with individuals.

He understands their gestures,

he understands their general and sometimes specific courses of behavior,

their silence, their words,

the disguising of their thoughts,

the hypocrisy of their actions,

why they have certain relationships and the company they keep, their interests, their sense of humor.

By this knowledge he is able to guard himself and his name from the snares of Satan.

God gives us the tools to do so by giving us understanding.

God's children cannot say, "I have nothing to draw with and the well is deep."

God, by his word, has given us buckets of understanding with which to draw.

He gives wisdom and understanding to make us profitable in our daily lives. They are available to us all.

Are we not created in the image and likeness of God?

God, our Father, is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Is not the son to be like the father?

God wishes for those who are created in his image to have discernment and understanding of the hearts of men.

Limited though it may be we have the opportunity to know much about other's hearts if we allow the word of God to do its work of giving us understanding in our lives.