Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 3:5-8(KJV):  "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

Thoughts for the Day:

These particular verses give us a promise of health if we do certain things. We are admonished here, to trust God with all of our hearts and not to lean to our own understanding. The Lord is not saying we are not to use our minds, but rather when we do not understand what is happening in our lives, we are to trust God to show us what to do. Many times when we are going through a trial or facing a serious problem, we are tempted to blame God for our circumstances.  In times such as this, we must not yield to Satan's accusations against our God, but rather, trust the Lord for the way out. If we acknowledge Him as our Lord, He promises to direct our paths and show us the way to overcome. Evil attacks against us or our family do not come from God, but originate from Satan to try and discourage us and ultimately destroy us.

Verse 7 tells us not to be wise in our own eyes. This simply means we are not to be conceited or in modern vernacular: "Do not be a wise guy or smart alec or a cocky person."  We are to be humble and reverently fear or respect the Lord.  If we really believe what God says in the Bible is true, we will leave our evil ways and follow Him.  We will respect His Word and not treat it lightly; as we would have enough fear of what could happen to us if we reject God and His ways. The Bible tells us there is a heaven and there is a hell and we must make a decision as to which place will be our eternal home. We are invited to repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our savior and obey His commandments which is the road to heaven. We can reject this offer and our rebellion will take us to hell.  We should have a healthy fear of God and respect the Bible's teachings, as this helps us to resist evil when we are tempted to sin.

The last verse tells us when we follow the Lord it will be health to our navel. The navel, of course, is where a baby's umbilical cord was once attached to its mother.  It is the place where the mother once fed life to the baby. Symbolically, this could represent God's life bringing health to us as we are attached to Him.  However, the Hebrew meaning of the word navel means nerves, muscles, or sinews. Therefore, this scripture means health to our emotional and physical body.  The term marrow to our bones takes on much stronger health implications when we understand modern day medicine. Life giving cells are created in the marrow of the bones and released to the body. Today, people with certain diseases must have bone marrow transplants in order to reverse their fatal infirmities.

Many people today are seeking to be healthy and live free of disease.   Of course, there are many good nutrition books and healthy lifestyle books that can be helpful.  However, the greatest advice to live a healthy life is found in these scriptures and others in the Bible. The Lord wants to bless us with healthy minds and bodies, but we must first have a healthy spirit.  This is only found in allowing Jesus to rule our lives.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Father in Heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus.  Thank you Lord, for so many wonderful promises in Your Word.  I come to you humbly, and ask that you remove any prideful attitudes in my heart and life. I truly want to follow in Your ways and serve You. Help me to trust you when things are going wrong, as much as when things are going right.  I realize to walk in faith, that I must believe that You will help me with my current problems even though I do not see a way at this time.  You will make a way, as You have never failed anyone who comes to You in faith. Thank you for good health, mentally and physically.  I am so glad my name is written in the Book of Life. Use me to help others find the way to heaven. Thank you, Jesus.  Amen.