Blessed is the One Who Trusts in the Lord
December 16, 2022
Proverbs 16:20 - Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
Many of Solomon’s Proverbs follow the same style. They are two part, with both statements making the same point, but from opposite perspectives. This Proverb is talking about following instructions and paying attention to God’s Word.
Do you ever have trouble paying attention to something? I sure do! It’s a common problem with a lot of people! I “squirrel” easily! The problem is when our distraction affects how we approach and deal with God’s Word and what He is trying to say to us in our daily quiet time.
The advice in this Proverb is simple, right? But it’s not really, is it? Anyone who has ever had quiet time knows how hard it is to concentrate on one single thing during that quiet time. Sometimes we are distracted by thoughts of other things, sometimes we re-read the same verse over and over again and we just don’t get it.
Giving attention to God’s Word means that we need to do more than just read it. The word attention means to consider doing something. Distractions are normal, but when they come, we need to stop reading and deal with them. Otherwise we’ll just be reading the words without really paying attention to them!
Giving attention also means to take the time to consider, meditate, and learn from the Word. That’s why I’m enjoying just doing a verse a day instead of trying to read through the Bible in a year. When I’ve tried that in the past, I don’t even think while I’m reading, it’s more like just skimming through it, especially when it’s a chapter or book that I already know well. Yet when I use the day’s scripture verse, I’m actually digging into the History and meaning of each verse, which helps me NOT be so distracted.
We’re told at the end of this verse that we will be blessed if we trust in the Lord because we will understand God’s will and ways and we’ll be a better person, if we take the time to really pay attention to His Word.