Proverbs Devotional 3.9.20

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 9

Reflect:

Proverbs 9:10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Starting with proverbs 1:7 and moving through the last nine chapters, the central teaching has been the same: The fear of the Lord is the foundation of all wisdom and understanding. It a theme we see throughout the Bible. Job said the same thing, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.” Clearly, Job understood that it was God who reveals to man what we can never find out on our own: wisdom resides with God. We act wisely when we follow God’s standards and shun evil. Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. 

So, what does this mean for us on a personal level? It means that the fear of God is the basis for walking in His ways, serving Him, and yes, loving Him. A biblical fear of God includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. The believer doesn’t fear like the unbeliever, their fear is reverence for God, like what we find in Hebrews 12, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Believers have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

Respond:

The starting point to finding wisdom, real wisdom is “The fear of the Lord.” Take time today to think about His majesty and power. Think about what it means for Him to be infinite, and then stand in awe of His grandeur. Worship Him today.

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: