I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read: Proverbs Chapter 20
Reflect:
Proverbs 20:5
Counsel in a person’s heart is deep water;
but a person of understanding draws it out.
I like how the NASB translates this verse, “A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.”
The human heart is mysterious. We may think we know everything there is to know about someone, yet in reality, we can never truly know all their thoughts. The heart — is the locus of a person’s thoughts, volition, emotions, and knowledge of right from wrong. Here the teacher tells us a person’s heart is like deep waters. I’ve walked along a Colorado mountain stream that was crystal clear. I could clearly see the stones on the creek bed, but this water was only two-foot-deep at its deepest. It’s easy to see things at this depth.
I’ve also snorkeled in the coral reefs of Guam. Over the reef, the water is shallow, but move out to the edge of it, and things change! The depth plummets, and the clear waters turn dark. The deeper you go, the darker it gets until there is nothing but total darkness. This is what the teacher is saying a person’s heart can be like. In other words, it can be hard to see what is truly in a person’s heart.
Notice what the teacher says in the second line, “But a person of understanding is able to draw it out.” A skilled diver who dives into dark waters will carry a dive light to illuminate the darkness. This way, they can maneuver successfully in the mysterious underwater world below them. You see, deep, dark waters hide things, but a dive light in the hands a skilled diver reveals those things. Think of some of the deepest dives, like the discovery of the Titanic. If you’ve seen any documentary about the Titanic, you know that it was covered in darkness for more than 80 years. From 1993 to 2000, RMS Titanic Inc. carried out an intensive series of dives that led to the recovery of more than 4,000 items in the first two expeditions alone.
Our real thoughts can be concealed, just like the Titanic’s treasures that were hidden for so long. Sometimes we will need a friend of understanding to come alongside us and bring those hidden thoughts to the surface. Sometime those revealed thoughts will be treasures, and other times they may reveal troubling thoughts. Either way, we need friends in our lives who can go deep with us, who can shine light in the dark crevasses of our thoughts. We need someone who knows us at a deeper level to help us navigate life.
Respond:
Do you have people in your life who know you at a level deeper than just a surface level? If you do, thank God for the friendships He’s given you. If you don’t, why? What is one thing you could do today to allow yourself to be known? Ask God to give you one friend, a person of understanding.
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 31:10
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.