Wisdom & Understanding

I love the big summary statements in the bible. The ones that definitively say “do this, not that” in a way that applies to all of the situations in my life. These are precepts I want to write on my heart and on the hearts of my children so that they will not be forgotten.

One of my most persistent prayers is that God would give me wisdom to choose well – to follow Him above all else and to understand what I see. To know where He is working and join in.

…and I found this today…

And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Proverbs 28:28

To fear the Lord is to revere Him – to acknowledge that He is above us & humbly accept that He knows more than us. This is an active word; not simply passive honour, but daily acts of devotion prompted by a humble spirit. For me, laying down my worry about what I will do, where I will go, and how I will get there and instead trusting that He will lead me is reverence. Being still is reverence.

And then this: shun evil.

Shun (verb): persistently avoid, ignore, or reject through antipathy or caution.

Oh boy… do I ever need a reminder about this one. Because evil doesn’t look evil all the time. Evil can look like a harsh comment, a grumbling spirit, criticism instead of praise, pressure to please, idolizing All. The. Things… this list could go on. There is no lack of evil lurking in my life.

Lord, I pray that I would seek you first when I worry, when I question, or when I doubt the path I am on so that your wisdom is my only guide and I pray that I would turn away from anything that might deter me from following you – any destructive action, thought, or word. Amen.

All. Ways.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

1 Chronicles 16:11 NIV

Always.

All. Ways.

This verse popped up as the verse of the day today (I use the You Version Bible App and LOVE it), and it has just really stuck with me as I go about my day.

Look to the Lord… always. As in, all the time. In all circumstances. When you feel at your best and when you feel at your worst.

If you’re like me, it’s actually easier to look to the Lord and TRUST his strength when I am already feeling strong! But, in the face of grief, pain, uncertainty or hardship… I might look for him, but I am not looking to his strength. I am looking at my need, and feeling insecure about Him coming through.

The beautiful thing is that God is much bigger than my insecurity and doubt. He is much bigger than my fears and failures… and his strength ALWAYS carries the day. Always.

Look to the Lord always. But also, look to the lord all ways. How am I looking and trusting in the Lord and his strength today? Am I trusting him in all my ways? Am I trusting him with my teenage sons as I drop them off to school today? Am I trusting him as I drive my car on snowy roads? Am I trusting him as I have a difficult conversation that I would rather avoid? Am I looking to him to give me strength to follow through when I am prompted to have a conversation with a stranger?

… and that was just this morning…

If you are like me, I quickly run over the daily verse and give it a “like” or a “share,” but rarely let it settle deep. I’m glad that this one did today because I needed the reminder to seek Him always. And, to seek Him in all my ways.

Lord, I pray that you would give me eyes to see and ears to hear your voice today so that I can honestly say that I am looking to you and trusting in your strength alone in all I do and in all I say… each and every day. Amen.