THE PATHS OF PEACE
Opening Prayer
Thank you, Father, for the many ways I am blessed as I walk in your way. Continue to enlighten and direct me through your Word.
Read PROVERBS 3:1–18
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.[b]
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
- Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What helps you grow as a follower faithful to Jesus?
The governing image in the book of Proverbs is that of walking or traveling along a path, a way, or a road. Life is like a journey, says Proverbs, and the character, quality, and destination of your life is determined by the decisions and behaviors you adopt. Such decisions and behaviors are seen as paths, ways, or roads. Wisdom is a way, a direction of life, a following along the right path, a journeying, a walking with God.
Still, this leaves me with a question. Does Proverbs 1–9 hold out any hope for people like me when I have missed the wise path and acted foolishly? I am thinking of one specific occasion when I grievously offended a friend. When I became aware of my error, I hated myself for it. I felt like a fool. For months I lost self-confidence. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and give up. I believed in the forgiveness of God, but I could not forgive myself and the book of Proverbs did not greatly help. It seemed to confirm that I was indeed an unwise fool!
Then I came again to verses 5 and 6 of this chapter: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’ God could straighten out my paths and put me back on his way. Slowly but surely I found the strength to go on. I had gained a little humility. No longer wise in my own eyes, I began to trust the Lord again. I discovered that there is a wisdom in being kind to oneself, in making room for one’s own failings. For, wisdom’s ‘ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace’ (v. 17).
Apply
Do you need to forgive yourself? Could you talk to someone about it? Whatever you do, be kind to yourself as you journey toward well-being.
Closing prayer
Lord, help me to leave behind my foolish ways and walk in the way of insight.1
1 See Prov 9:6
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