Skip to main content

Proverbs Devotional 1.30.20

By January 30, 2020Daily Devotional

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 30

Reflect:

Proverb 30:7-9

O God, I beg two favors from you;
let me have them before I die.
First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

Here we find the wisdom of an older person pouring his heart out to God. There is something about it that just resonates with us. Perhaps it’s his honesty in his prayer. I picture a man praying. His eyes squinted closed, hands clenched together praying, “Please God, help me, protect me, keep me from doing anything foolish—please!” His objective is to be a man of character—he knows himself well. He knows the value of honesty. His desire is to maintain his integrity. 

Speaking truth is a theme we find throughout the book of Proverbs. He knows what lying can do to people and relationships. He knows the pitfalls of both poverty and wealth—he doesn’t want to be trapped by any of these. He knows his own weaknesses all too well. He tells us what those might be in verse 9. 

Rather than be ensnared by either poverty or riches, he asks God to just give him enough to satisfy his needs. If you think about his request for a bit, you may remember Jesus’ words, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). That means all the things we need for our bodies—food, clothing, a home, and our health. Both this proverb and Jesus are acknowledging God the Father as our sustainer and provider. It is God who gives us all we need—the strength, wisdom, and courage required throughout our day—as we’re guided by the Holy Spirit. Every day we are entirely dependent on God. We couldn’t live a single day without His sustaining. 

This proverb illustrates the right and proper perspective for us to maintain. It’s a confession that we are not self-sufficient. There are so many things that are out of our control, so many things we’re unaware of. The right perspective—the one that puts us on the path of wisdom—begins by acknowledging the One who sustains everything. We must trust God daily to provide what He knows we need. 

Respond:

Take time daily to cast your cares upon God—trust Him (1 Peter 5:7). Ask God to help you live each day like Paul, who lived daily, trusting God whether he was in plenty or in want.

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 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.

Leave a Reply