Day 24: How to Listen to God (Proverbs 3:1-10, Matthew 16:21-17:13, Genesis 47:13-48:22)

Day 24: How to Listen to God (Proverbs 3:1-10, Matthew 16:21-17:13, Genesis 47:13-48:22): Proverbs 3:1-10 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 favour 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.   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 Honour 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. Proverb Commentary Listen to God’s voice in the Scriptures The main way in which God speaks to us is through what he has already spoken in the Scriptures – his ‘teaching’ and ‘commands’ (v.1). As you read the Bible, pray that God will speak to you and that you will hear his voice. ‘Don’t try to figure 

Proverbs 3:1-10

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 favour 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.

  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 Honour 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.

Proverb Commentary

Listen to God’s voice in the Scriptures

The main way in which God speaks to us is through what he has already spoken in the Scriptures – his ‘teaching’ and ‘commands’ (v.1). As you read the Bible, pray that God will speak to you and that you will hear his voice.

‘Don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track’ (vv.5–6, MSG).

Learning verses in the Bible is one of the ways you can write God’s word on the ‘tablet of your heart’ (v.3). Pippa and I learnt these verses on our honeymoon and have tried to live by them.

  1. Be guided by ‘Love and Loyalty’

    These should be our guiding principles in every decision we take. ‘Love and Loyalty’ (v.3, MSG) should be deeply embedded in our hearts. Loyalty means, for example, speaking about others as if they were present. We establish trust in those who are present by our loyalty to those who are not present. If you live like this, God promises you a good reputation ‘in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people’ (v.4, MSG).

  2. Run to God! Run from evil!

    We are to trust in God rather than becoming arrogant and thinking that we are clever. Fear of God, in the sense of healthy respect for him, should lead us to ‘Run to God! Run from evil!’ (v.7, MSG). God promises that ‘this will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones’ (v.8). In other words, there is a connection between the spiritual and the physical.

  3. Become a generous giver

    It really matters what you do with your money. Give God ‘the first and the best’ (v.9, MSG) (that is, the first part of your income not the last). I have found this to be an extraordinary principle; that if you get your giving right, you discover the truth of the promise that God will supply all your needs: ‘your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine’ (v.10).

Prayer

Lord, help me not just to read your words, but to learn them, live by them and to bring honour to your name.

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