Understanding
Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth."
~Proverbs 4:5 (NASB)
God desires for us to wait until we hear from Him before we act. He wants us to listen and to "get it." He wants us to receive His revelation, His instruction and His understanding. Sometimes He speaks to us quickly, and sometimes God takes His time. But no matter how long He takes, we are to "not... turn away from the words of My mouth," (Prov. 4:5). We are to "get understanding" (Prov. 4:7).
The alternative is to miss God's finest, to be foolish, to do it quick and cheap—our way (Eph. 5:17, Prov. 3:5-6, 18:2).
Early last week, I found myself engaged in a long conversation with a ministry leader concerning many topics. As I listened to him speak, I could easily see that he had acquired a great deal of knowledge, wisdom and understanding over the years. The presence and the peace of the Lord in the room was profound, and the Lord showed me that this man was very anointed by God.
One testimony he shared with me particularly stood out: When I asked him how he knew and understood so much about the Bible—revelation wisdom I had never heard from any other source—he accredited seeking the understanding of the Lord. He said that years ago, he and his cousin would pore over the Bible, maps, commentaries and other resources and would seek the Lord for hours to help them receive a deep understanding of the Lord's messages. As always, the Lord was faithful to deliver.
I understood that the key here is the time factor. God speaks to us in many ways, but sometimes, it is necessary to "press in," to fervently seek Him over time in order to gain deeper levels of understanding.
The issue is: Are we willing to spend the time? It is our heart's desire to sincerely know Him better? His ways? His messages? His revelation understanding that will change our lives?
If we read further in Proverbs chapter 4, we see that if we walk in divine wisdom and understanding, the Lord will reward us. He will exalt us and honor us (vs. 8), He will crown us with His grace and beauty (vs. 9), He will give us a long life (vs. 10), He will cause our paths to be clear (vs. 12-13). Essentially, He will promote us.
Surely, spending intimate time with the Lord is a treasure that brings treasures. It is a double blessing not to be missed. It is a divine gift.
In the times when I have felt like I do not have time to spend with the Lord, and I have chosen to do it anyway, I have felt anxiety and pressures give way to the Lord's peace and grace. And in that time, He always reminds me that had I not spent that time, I would not have received His greater intimacy, His greater understanding of who He is and what He wants me to know. I realize this is so precious, so important, so critical to the heart of God.
If you are experiencing spiritual dryness where you feel distant from the Lord's presence and you cannot even hear God's voice clearly, I encourage you to submit to spending more intimate time with Him. There, you will be refreshed; you will come into His peace; you will receive revelation instructions, strategies and understanding that will propel you forward in your divine destiny. There is no shortcut. There is no cheap substitute.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. This devotional was adapted from Margaret's forthcoming book, Enduring Grace. All rights reserved.
