Proverbs 3:26 “for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught”

 

When we lived in Tassie I would go down to the local beach regularly around 5 am and go for a run. I loved it when the tide was far out and I could run on the hard sand. Green’s beach is a beautiful half-moon sweeping bay. I would be the only person there most mornings. I loved the sand glistening wet from the receding tide, sometimes with a low yellow-tinged moon large on the horizon. I could lose myself as I ran, swinging into a steady rhythm of legs and lungs.

That’s where I would have my early morning conversations with God. I would meditate on scripture as I ran, ask God to speak to me, to open up his word and help me to know Him better. Miles would go by, and I would often be surprised to be at my turning place (which was around about the fourth bay along the coast). As I turned and started the journey homewards, I would slowly slip back into the conversation again with God. I think for me it’s in those intentional moments and times with God that I find my strength, that I discover a revealed wisdom, and that my feet are kept free.

 

 

KNOWLEDGE

Here we have a promise, given in the name of God. The name implies a personal covenant based relationship with the user of the name. As we are so often called his child, the familial relationship has been established by Him, not by us – our role here is to appropriate the relationship and appropriate the promises that go with it. God is our source, our supply, our provision, our abundance. Not only will he supply all our needs, [Phil 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ESV] he will also deliver us from every trap of the enemy. He imparts knowledge to us so we know what we should do in every situation, he imparts understanding to us, so we know how to put the knowledge into action in every situation, and of course, he gives us wisdom as He takes up residence on our hearts – so that we actually go ahead and choose to do the right thing, in every situation.

All of the above hinges on the relationship with God – that first phrase…” for the Lord” is the heart of everything. Yahweh – the God who treats me as His child, God who enters into a personal relationship with me, God who has established promises with me, who oversees me,  [Zeph 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing] who sings songs of rejoicing over me.

 

 

UNDERSTANDING

Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?

The word for “confidence” in the Hebrew language is pronounced, “kesel” and this word appears thirteen times in the Old testament. It is translated into the following English words in the ESV. Loins; waist; confidence; hope; and, folly. In our verse here, the idea is that we can put our trust in God, find our strength in God, and have faith in Him and His promises to us.

 

 

WISDOM: what promises are yours today?

 

 

STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Includer brings a sense of belonging to all, drawing the best out of each person as they feel cared for, safe, and seen. However, recognise that not everyone will want to be part of what you are creating.

 

 

Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [for God who has established a personal promise and relationship with me, will be my hope, and strength. He will guard me everywhere I am so that no part of me is snared or captured by the enemy of my soul.]

 

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Please help me to use the freedom you have won for me today to draw others towards you today, with my speech and my actions. Thank you!

 

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