Tuesday 03-22-11

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge; For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you. - Proverbs 22:17-19

Just a short thought here that God was impressing upon me today as I reflected upon these verses. I see my lack of trust in the Lord in so many ways. When I don't trust God it leads to me worrying, to me trusting my own understanding, to sin of all kinds. But this is true of everyone is it not? Think with me, the first sin of Adam came because he doubted what God had said. He began to trust his own reasoning and the result: the complete and total ruin of all mankind.

So back to theses verses, I was reading/thinking/meditating/praying over them. And it struck me that verse seventeen, eighteen and verse nineteen where intricately woven. The command is given to "incline your ear [to wisdom] and apply your mind to my knowledge." In doing so it will not be a burden, rather verse 18 makes it clear that it will be pleasant (for those who are in Christ Jesus at least). Furthermore we see the reason for doing so is that we might be ready for an answer.

The result is beautiful and very helpful I think. "So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you." The result of reading his word, meditating upon it and praying it into my life is a trust in the Lord. This isn't something which happens over night, but rather it is change of life. Because Romans 1 makes it clear that all people are born with sin nature and do not honor or trust God. This is process of reading His word, taking delight in His word and in Him and furthermore to trust Him is what we call sanctification. Simply put, it's becoming more like Jesus.


Father, I believe... help thou my unbelief.