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 4:5-9(KJV):  "Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee."

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs is not only a book of wisdom, it also is poetically written in many places.  Here, wisdom is referred to in the feminine gender. She (wisdom) is to be sought, to be embraced, to be loved, to be exalted, and to be the principal thing,.  This symbolism of wisdom is much like a man who is seeking the attention of a woman he loves. Wisdom is not to be forgotten nor forsaken; just as when a suitor gets the woman he loves to marry him, he must be diligent to pay attention to her needs and not lose her through neglect.

The place to find wisdom is in God's Word. That is also the place where we shall be able to keep her and forsake her not. Many people ask to be kept safely by God and pray to that end, yet prayer alone is not enough; we must find and keep the Word of God. Verse 6 says that if we do not forsake the Word of God, but rather love it, then that very Word will preserve and keep us safe.

Verse 7 says that wisdom will bring understanding.  People who do not understand the will and purposes of God become targets of the devil. Satan can easily talk some Christians out of their rightful inheritance. Because they have no faith, they cannot receive the promises of God.  That is why we see some Christians who are overcomers and some who are overcome.  You see, God does not love one of His children more than another.  He loves us all equally. He is no respecter of men.  However, God does respect one thing -- His Word.  A Christian who knows the Word of God and applies it, has an advantage over one who is ignorant of God's Word. 

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Acts10:34-35).

For example if I believe the promise that Jesus died not only that I might be saved, but He also died so that I might be healed; then I can appropriate healing by faith in God, who told me that in His Word.  However, if I have never read or studied that portion of God's Word, I may remain ill, robbed of my blessing of healing. This does not mean that God does not love me, but rather, it simply means I am ignorant of that promise and therefore I may not even know to pray for healing. According to God's Word we receive those things which we pray and believe Him for. Some people do not seek the Lord diligently, so they cannot spiritually hear and see the things that God has for them. Therefore, it is wise to study God's Word and then as we read in verse 9, we shall receive grace in our circumstances and also a crown of glory!

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth" (3 John1:2-3).

"For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:15-16).

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Father, I am grateful for your many blessings.  Thank you for opening my eyes to Your truths and for your many promises to me.  I do want to become wiser, so help me to study and understand the Bible. Open my spiritual ears to hear the things I need to understand at this time. Thank you for the knowledge You have already given me, but I desire to know more, so that I might know You more.  I want my relationship with You to be closer than ever before. Please give me the desire to pray more and to read the Bible more. Forgive me when I neglect these two very important things. Thank you for the promise of health for me. I receive that promise so that I might be about Your business. How wonderful You are to me and all of Your children. Keep my family and friends in Your health and bless them too. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.