August 22, 2024

Proverbs 15:1-12  (HCSB)
15 A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good. 4 The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit. 5 A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible. 6 The house of the righteous has great wealth, but trouble accompanies the income of the wicked. 7 The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. 9 The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but He loves the one who pursues righteousness. 10 Discipline is harsh for the one who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die. 11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord— how much more, human hearts. 12 A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him; he will not consult the wise.

Ally Jackson
How much trust does it take to guard our heart from pains produced in times of trouble? I’m sure it’s far more than the amount of trust I’ve been able to provide in a third of my lifetime. Sometimes I laugh at myself for putting more trust in the chairs I sit in than I do in God’s ability to guide my life. Last week, I excitedly walked in with my newest patio purchase: a new bench to fill our empty back porch. My husband, Tyler, was just as excited to begin putting it together. Well, his excitement was equal to that of doing a task that requires work on an off-day from work. As he laid out the instructions, tools, and pieces, I already knew the living room mess would ultimately lead to a Pinterest-worthy patio seat. At first sight, I didn’t yet trust in the ability these pieces of bench ability to hold me up. They had to be assembled in an intentional fashion first. With each carefully tightened screw, my trust grew in the bench’s ability to hold me up. When Tyler was finished putting it together, we sat outside on our new bench. We didn’t even second-guess whether the bench would be strong enough to hold us up. Our trust was built by numerous past recounts of successfully built benches. This analogy speaks to my trust in God’s plan in so many ways. Building spiritual trust is a discipline. When we follow God’s instruction, the Bible, we receive the pieces necessary to build an unshakeable trust in times of uncertainty. This passage, as well as many others, invites us to hand over the screwdriver and rest in Him as He assembles each piece into a masterpiece greater than we can currently see.