Have you ever had a problem that kept you awake at night? Maybe you did something wrong and you were afraid that you would be discovered. Or perhaps you were worried that things were going to go badly in the morning. Wouldn’t it be great to have peace and confidence so that you could sleep soundly?
How to live
Read Proverbs 3:27
• What three basic instructions for wise living does Solomon give here?
• v 27-28
• v 29-30
• v 31
.................................................
APPLY
• What would it look like for you to do, or keep doing, these three things in your particular circumstances?
.................................................
How to have a powerful friend
Read Proverbs 3:32
Read 1 Peter 5:59, where the apostle summarises Proverbs 3 v 34.
• Who does God oppose?
These people live for their own glory and seek to gain honour from other people. But the Lord will not share the glory only He deserves with anyone else (see Isaiah 42:8), and so God opposes them.
• How does God respond to the “humble”, who know who they are and know who God is?
How to have peace
Read Proverbs 3:21
• Where is the confidence of the wise person (v 26)?
• What does this attitude bring (v 24)?
So, how can you have peace when you go to sleep at night? Humble yourself before the LORD. Follow His path of wisdom (as described in the book of Proverbs), for the LORD sustains and guides the steps of the righteous. If you do, you will be able to rest easy, knowing that your conscience is clear and that the LORD has promised to care for you always.
.................................................
TIME OUT… Read 2 Corinthians 5:21.
• Given that we have all been proud and foolish in our lives, how can we have any hope that God will give us His grace?
.................................................
.................................................
PRAY
Remember, Proverbs is giving us general principles of life in God’s world: so this isn’t an instant cure for insomnia!
If you find yourself lying awake, why not use the time to thank God for the confidence you can have in Him, eternally?
If you’re still awake, why not make use of the time to pray for others?
.................................................
This devotional is taken from Explore—a daily Bible-reading devotional from the good book company which enables you to engage with Scripture and which will encourage, equip and inspire you to live for Christ. Explore features contributions from pastors such as Dr Timothy Keller, Mike McKinley and Tim Chester.
Click here and enter the code bstexplore57 when you check out to get the current quarter’s Explore for $5.84, a 10% discount.
Click here and enter bstexploresub when you check out to buy a year’s worth at 25% off—just $16.
Keep a record of what God is teaching you with "my bible" at biblestudytools.com
