Peter Horrobin - Wisdom from the Proverbs: A 40-Day Devotional Journey

Information and wisdom are very different. Someone could be the most knowledgeable person in the world but be seriously deficient in wisdom and have little understanding of what it means to live a godly life. And another person may be relatively unlearned and yet be able to exercise profound wisdom in the decisions that he or she has to make on lifes journey.

It is not unusual to read the achievements of very clever people, and then discover that their private lives are an absolute disaster, punctuated with the consequences of unwise decisions, broken relationships and financial loss. The media is never slow to profile the mistakes of the rich and famous.

Young people idolize the stars of the music, entertainment and sporting worlds. But the private lives of their heroes are rarely steeped in godliness. Beneath the veneer of success and popularity can lie a maelstrom of sinful behavior. It is no surprise, therefore, that, when they grow up, their behavior replicates that of the people they follow.

When Solomon succeeded his father, David, to the throne of Israel, he went up to Gibeon and stood before the Tabernacle inquiring of the Lord. The Lord said to him, Ask for whatever you want me to give you (2 Chronicles 1:7). And because Solomon asked for knowledge and wisdom, and not riches and wealth, the Lord said He would give him both. Solomon became renowned for both his wisdom and his wealth, exceeding that of any king before or since.

It is generally understood that the wisdom Solomon was blessed with was nothing less than the Spirit of God speaking through him. It was a gift of God. We also read about this gift of God in James 1:5, which says, If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Because of the knowledge and wisdom that God gave Solomon, his reign was extraordinarily successful. He prospered. And not only did he prosper, but he was privileged with the task of building the Temple that his father had dreamed of. On a second occasion, after the Temple was built, Solomon was blessed with another direct encounter with the Lord, who appeared to him at night and said, I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices (2 Chronicles 7:12). And then God said, If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (verse 14).

This is an extraordinary promise rich in meaningboth for the nation of Israel and for Gods people of all generations. For us now, I have seen Gods promise of healing and restoration, subsequent to humble repentance, fulfilled a thousand times over in the lives of people of all nations and cultures. God loves to honor His promises. Peter reminds his readers of this divine principle when he says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under Gods mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

Which brings us to the book of Proverbs. Within the confines of these 31 chapters, God has condensed and placed the wisdom that was received as a gift by Solomon. What Solomon wrote down in chapter after chapter of pithy, expressive, dynamic and challenging sayings is like a bottle of vitamin pills for the soul. But in order to know the blessing that God planned for His people through their use, we have to humble ourselves (that means deal with our pride) and let God speak to our hearts.

For this devotional, I have selected forty of these sayings, which embody life-transforming spiritual principles, as a journey of spiritual understanding that will speak to your heart. But for the maximum blessing and benefit, the vitamin pills have to be taken. I encourage you to set out on this journey with an open heart toward the Lord, praying that He will speak into your life and bring healing and restoration to your soul as you draw on the wisdom God has placed within the Proverbs to build you up in Him.

How to Use This Book

This book has been laid out as a forty-step journey of faith. It was designed to be read little by little, one day at a time. Before you begin to read each days Scripture and the devotional reading, spend a few moments in prayerlay aside all the concerns of the moment and ask the Holy Spirit to open Gods Word to you and to minister His truth into your inner being.

Then read the Scripture for the daynot once, but two or three times, allowing God to speak to you personally through it. Next, read the devotional with an open heart, asking God to show you how the things that are said can relate to events and circumstances in your own life. You may find it helpful to read the devotional through again.

At the end of each devotional is a suggested prayer that will help you anchor the daily truths into the reality of your own life. But I would encourage you to pray more personally as well, applying to your own situation whatever God has said to you through the devotional.

Finally, there is a space for you to make your own personal comments about the Scripture and the devotional and keep a record of what God says to you. It has always been a huge encouragement to me to look back at the things that God has said or done in the past and track the record of Gods hand on my life.