If… then…

Happy Thanksgiving Day to our Canadian readers.

In the home where I grew up, there were often promised rewards for good behavior. If we behaved well or did our chores, or if we didn’t make noise, then we would get to go to a drive-in movie or go out for dinner.

In the book of Proverbs, many promises are given if certain criteria are met. The criteria are not that people have to be perfect or behave perfectly; rather, they are to be willing to seek wisdom and apply it to their lives.

In Proverbs 2:1-5, the Lord promises that we can understand what it means to fear Him — and even find the knowledge of God — but there are a few prerequisites. We have to be willing to seek after His instructions and accept them. We have to listen for wisdom and apply what we learn. The Lord wants us to call out and cry aloud in order that we might learn, and thus gain insight and understanding. In fact, the Lord encourages us to look for wisdom like we would search for treasure or anything given away for free!

People line up for hours for discounts and go to great lengths to win races, climb mountains, swim oceans, run marathons — often for the prize. What if we applied such tenacity and willingness to endure hardship and to use our energy to pursue God and the wisdom to fear Him as we seek to find the knowledge of God?

O Lord, stir in me a steadfast and tenacious desire to seek you with all of my heart. Teach me your wisdom and ways, break through the resistance of my own heart toward correction and help me learn what it means to fear you only and know you intimately. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Go Deeper— As you are reading through the devotionals this month on the Book of Proverbs, look for the themes of seeking wisdom and accepting His words. Ask the Lord to create in you the desire to know wisdom and to know Him more intimately.

Read Further — Here are some benefits of fearing the Lord.