Dave's Diary

Prayer

God of all Wisdom, may my reflection on Your Word bring me clarity and courage today. Amen.

Reading

Read Proverbs 28 slowly and prayerfully. Notice which verse particularly jumps out at you. Re-read that verse a few times, slowly. Write it down in your journal. Try to memorise it so that you can reflect on it without having to read from the page.

Prayerful Reflection

Now take that Proverb and think about your life at the moment. Is there a situation in your life to which that Proverb applies. Ask the Lord how this verse from His Word is telling you to live out His wisdom in that situation. Make notes in your journal.

A Devotional Thought

Proverbs 28: 
²⁶ Those who trust in themselves are fools,
    but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. (NIVUK)

Contemporary culture encourages us to “follow your heart” and to “be true to yourself”. This Proverb, however, corrects that notion. Relying on our own intuition of what is best is a foolish mistake. As Jeremiah 17:9 so plainly declares : “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?“

Instead of trusting our hearts blindly, we ought to seek out true wisdom to live by, and test our hearts against that standard. When our hearts are out of step with such wisdom, we should most definitely not follow our hearts.

Our starting point for this true wisdom is God’s written self-revelation, the Bible. We are to seek and discern our values, morals, and wisdom from God’s Word. Instead of looking inside ourselves, we are well advised to look inside God’s Word.

In addition, it is prudent to seek out the insights of those we know to be wise and God-honouring people. Their perspectives and understandings on how God’s Word applies to our situations will be invaluable to us in our quest for true wisdom. As the Good News Translation of this proverb goes:
^“It is foolish to follow your own opinions. Be safe, and follow the teachings of wiser people.“

Prayer

Lord, I long to be led by Your wisdom. In every situation I face, please help me to discern Your will with reference to Your Word and to the insights of those I know to possess the gift of godly wisdom. Help me, Holy Spirit, to humble myself and my opinions beneath Your perfect wisdom. Amen.