“Listen up”
“Listen up”
Meditation – Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Proverbs 3:1-6 (Forward, p. 54) CEV p. 649
It is no small wonder that some people are described as being stubborn like a mule, for mules are notorious for having strong will and refusing to budge unless they are compelled to do so—or else, feel like it. Therefore, it is not surprising that the psalmist has this to say:
“You said to me, ‘I will point out the road that you should follow. I will be your teacher and watch over you. Don’t be stupid like horses or mules that must be led with ropes to make them obey’” (Psalm 32:8-9).
Today’s reading from Proverbs echoes this advice:
“With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow. Don’t ever think that you are wise enough, but respect the Lord and stay away from evil. This will make you healthy, and you will feel strong” (verses 5-8).
Not trusting in our own understanding, but listening to the Lord, respecting what He has to say and abiding by it, obeying it is the secret to health and success in life. But how hard this is, as many of us (most of us?) have that stubborn, mulish streak within us. May we all learn to listen and submit, as hard as that might be. Amen.
Forward notes: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight” (verse 5).
“I recently purchased a new home. After selling our house of 21 years and then renting for a year, I am thrilled and delighted to have a place to call my own. I put my trust in the Lord as I practiced discernment about where I was meant to live next. I thought I would move out of town and begin a new life elsewhere. I prayed a prayer almost every morning (still do!), asking God to show me the life I am meant to live, and then I added, ‘Show me where I am meant to live.’ I practiced being open and trusting that the Lord would point me to my next house.
“The beach cottage I purchased is just the right size for my daughter and me. In a million years, I never expected I would wind up in a 100-year-old house, in the same town where I have lived for more than two decades. But I trusted in the Lord with all my heart. And when the house became available, I knew from the discernment work I had done and the prayers I had prayed that it was not an accident but where I was meant to be.”
MOVING FORWARD: “What decision in your life needs discernment and guidance from God? Add this specific request to your prayers.”
