Proverbs Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6

OH MY, I cannot get these words smaller…and I’m out of the house for today so I’ll have to play around with it later. So sorry!!

Are you enjoying digging in to the book of Proverbs? Please do take a moment and leave me a comment if there is any verse from these chapters that you particularly love or God has used in your life!

I’m sure that most of us can quote Prov. 3:5-6 by heart! However, sometimes the very verses we have known our entire lives begin to just sound like words in our head…and we lose their importance. I think this is very true with this particular passage.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Prov. 3:5-6

I also love the very next verse…do not be wise in your own eyes! Prov. 3:7

These verses have so very much encouragement for us! How many times throughout our days do we lean on our own understanding? How many times do we go about our day and about our business without even asking the Lord to give us HIS perspective on a situation or HIS ideas for a certain problem we’re having. I admit that I do this all too often! But, God’s Word tells us us that we should not be wise in our own eyes. I want His wisdom, His perfect wisdom. (And remember what His wisdom looks like?)

Proverbs chapter 3 goes on to say happy is the man who finds wisdom…

I think we probably all know that God is perfect, we are not. His wisdom is perfect, ours is not. I want to seek Him diligently, daily, faithfully…begging Him to impart His wisdom to my heart, crying out for discernment.

Moving on into Proverbs chapter 4, we still see such a huge emphasis on Godly wisdom. “Let your heart retain My words, keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Prov. 4:5

As we move into Proverbs chapter 5, we read some very serious instruction about our marriages. Drink water from your own cistern…drink running water from your own well…rejoice with the wife of your youth…5:15-18

I think this is pretty self explanatory. And, what better way to not only remain faithful but to REJOICE with the spouse of our youth than to be in God’s Word daily, to be asking for His wisdom in our relationships and to be praying faithfully for our spouses.

Proverbs chapter 6 gives us the details on things God hates. The Lord hates a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. Prov. 6:16-19

I think here we can see how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Yes, we will each mess up. We will each sin against God…daily. It is only by His grace that we can even read through this list and think that we will one day live in heaven with Him forever!! In our minds we think we haven’t committed “the biggest” of sins…so we are still “good.” Oh how wrong we are. Our hearts are so full of pride. We so desperately need Him.

Prov. 6:3 tells us to humble ourselves…and I think this is so vital as we start any study of any book of the Bible. How can we think we will learn anything, gain any wisdom or trust fully in God if we think we can do it on our own? If we think we can “lean on our own understanding” it will be very hard for us to grow in Christ and in the study of His word.

I am loving reading through the book of Proverbs. There are so many practical applications in this book. I think also because I feel so needy in how much I pray for wisdom, that I especially love this book and how God promises to give us HIS wisdom when we ask for it!! I think sometimes I just need to listen a little bit more for His voice.

What about you? What are you learning through the book of Proverbs?