Proverbs 3: 21-26 Safe and Secure?

21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,

do not let them out of your sight;

22 they will be life for you,

an ornament to grace your neck.

23 Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Have no fear of sudden disaster

or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26 for the LORD will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from being snared.

When faced with family ruin, sudden disasters, calamities, death or sickness, life suddenly seems to take a downward spiral. Trouble seems to follow more trouble and all hope seems to vanish.

Many times looking back, we realize that a lot of trouble we face in life could have been avoided, if we had just been a little wiser or a little cautious. Unfortunately, most of us learn things the hard way.

Then again, if we look at the life of Job, we see that not all disaster can be avoided by being wise. What then is the use of all righteousness and wisdom if it can’t give you a guarantee against bad things happening to you? This is the part where I always seem to have a problem with Proverbs. It seems to put things in a cut and dried manner- Good will happen to those who are good and bad to those who are bad. And when I look about me all I see is the opposite happening.

It’s easy to question the truth of these words. Even King Solomon in all his wisdom found this a though question to answer. (Read Ecclesiastes) So what then must we conclude?

I found that the answer to this question is not learned easily. It needs to be experienced to actually say with confidence that the LORD will keep me from all harm and disaster. I am thankful that the Lord taught me at a young age that he is true to his promises. When my family went through a time of crisis, at a time when we had lost almost everything, the Lord showed us his mercy and carried us through, and although we never recovered all the material things that we lost, we as a family gained a lot more in spiritual wisdom, more than any book would have taught us.

Looking back these are the things I learned:

1) A lot of time trouble can avoided if we are not so naive about how the wicked and unjust the world really is. The truth is that there are people out there who will always wish you harm. Hence the need for “sound judgment and discernment.”

2) Even though we went through tough times the Lord never let us down. When we were foolish, we learned to depend more on HIS Wisdom rather than ours.

3) Evil may seem to win but that will not last forever. If you count you loss or trouble in terms of material wealth or blessing, it will always seem that the bad guys always win.

4) A person who trusts in the Lord need not have anything to fear, no matter how bad the situation seems to look at the moment, it will always bring forth blessing you may never have imagined.

Trust is the most important thing, sometimes it easy to doubt. Faith is built one step and one day at a time. It’s only when we look back that we realize how far we have really come.

Proverbs 3: 19-20 : Created with wisdom

19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

Words cannot describe the feeling that I get when I think of the beauty and precision of the universe. Men boast of reaching new heighst in science every day, we boast of going to the moon and giant telescopes and sending probes to other planets. Yet the more we learn about the universe, the more we realize that we are creatures of very little significance. Our minds cannot begin to grasp the vastness of the heavens above us.

With wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations. He set the earth in the perfect spot in the milky way, at the exact distance from the sun, made it the perfect size, set a single satellite at the exact distance, all so that life will be possible on earth. How much coincidence can lead to such perfection? For the earth is perfect in all regards for it to sustain life.

If you are in India please visit the Asha Kiran Planetarium Belgaum to learn more about the Universe and the God who created it. Visit http://ewei.org.in/ for more details.

Proverbs 3:13-18 - Life giving wisdom

¹³ Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,

¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

Have you found wisdom yet? Are you still searching in all the wrong places? Blessed is the person who finds wisdom… the question is; “Where will you find wisdom?”

The Lord Jesus Christ once asked his disciples if they were going to continue to follow him inspite of his hard teachings. To this Peter replied “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” (John 6: 60 to 68) There is only one person in this world you can go to, who can grant you life giving wisdom. The world can offer you all kinds of wisdom on “How to live your life, how to make loads of money, how to make your home look pretty, how to stay healthy and fit…” but what will it profit you, if you lose your soul? At the end of it all, you will die just like anyone else in the world.

Stop looking in all the wrong places. Go! Find that one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who holds with him the words of eternal life.

(Ref: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206:%2060-69&version=NIV)

Proverbs 3: 11,12- Tough Love

11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke,

12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Does God punish us when we do something wrong? That’s a difficult question… I am not a bible scholar to answer that one. It is, however, clear from these verses that the Lord does disciplines his children.

If you are a child of God and knowingly continue to sin then be ready for some discipline. The Lord could use anything to discipline his children; it could be a sermon you listen to which pricks your heart, a bible verse, a Christian friend, or the circumstances you find yourself in as a result of sin. Rebuke and discipline is never pleasant or easy. The hurt of it could sting for days.

One must remember however, that not all bad circumstances are a result of God’s discipline. If you are going through troubles of some sort then closely examine your life to see if there is sin in your life. If there isn’t, then it could be that the Lord is using those circumstances to build your faith and make you stronger in him. No matter what the circumstances though, the most important thing is, to never doubt the love of God and never question his ways.

To read more about God's dicipline in the Bible, please read Hebrews 12: 7 to 12. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2012&version=NIV)

Proverbs 3: 9, 10 - A matter of giving to God

9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

This is very direct, honor the Lord with your wealth. What is the point of storing up treasures on earth? One thing I have seen an experienced in life is that God never lets his children suffer any lack. If you are a Christian and still worry about wealth and money problems or if you withhold from giving to the Lord because you think you won’t have enough for yourself then it’s time to stop worrying and start giving. It’s a wonderful thing to experience God’s provision first hand when you depend on him. Commit to the Lord not just your money but also your time.

Proverbs 3: 5 to 8 - A question of trust

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bone

I’ve been listening to these verses since the time I was a little girl. I must admit that it was easier to trust in the Lord, back when I was a little kid compared to now. Actually, trusting in the Lord is the easy part. When it comes to the part about not leaning on your own understanding... well that’s the part I find the toughest. It’s so easy for me to rush into things and do things in my own understanding and wisdom. This whole task of reading proverbs every day is just to remind me not to lean on my own understanding.

It’s so easy to get carried away with emotion or worldly wisdom or just plain thoughtlessness. I’ve always been wise in my own eyes. It’s only when I realised my own shortcomings and foolishness that I came to appreciate God’s wisdom and Love.

Sometimes I face situations which I cannot understand, I can’t seem to comprehend why things turn out the way it does or why nothing seems to work out as planned. That is the time when giving control to God is the toughest task to do. At these times I’ve learnt that I just have to give up fighting for control over my life and let the Lord take over. It’s still not easy, but maybe one day I’ll get there.

Proverbs 3: 1to 4- Do not Forget

Proverbs 3: 1to 4

1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (NIV)

Forgetting is both a blessing and a curse to us. On one hand, it helps you let go of all the bad that stuff that has happened in your life, it makes it easier for you to forgive people who hurt you, let go of grudges, overcome embarrassing moments and helps you enjoy simple pleasures of life without thinking of the past. Then on the other hand, if anyone would curse forgetfulness, it’s me! I sometimes crown myself the queen of forgetfulness. Leaving things behind like my purse or bags, forgetting my friend’s birthdays, important tasks, paying my bills on time, the list is endless. I constantly have to set reminders on my phone and inspite of that, I still forget things. I have to remind myself to set reminders and then forget to do it.

It’s so easy for me to forget what I read in my morning devotion. I start off the day resolving to keep in heart all the things that I've read, but then too often, when I look back at the events of the day I feel like I am like the person in James, “like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” (James 1: 23, 24)

Some times the Lord takes us through circumstances that make us not just remember his word for a few hours or minutes rather we find that his word comes through so clearly that the words get etched in our hearts and minds, such that we can never forget it. At other times though it is best to stay alert and keep God's word close by lest we get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and lose sight of what is really important. It takes a conscious amount of time and effort to remember it's not something that is going to come automatically.

Oh that I may bind the word of God around my neck and heart.