Talk Together
Family conversations with God’s Word.
Have you ever walked on a balance beam? It’s a long, solid bar that’s perfectly straight. Gymnasts use it to do all kinds of incredible flips. When you walk on a balance beam, it takes you directly from start to finish. You don’t wander to the left or right. If you do, you’ll fall off the beam! The book of Proverbs talks about wisdom and straight paths.
King Solomon, a son of King David, wrote many of the Proverbs. He asked God to give him wisdom so he could make good choices, and God answered this prayer! But even as the wisest man to walk this earth, Solomon was not as wise as God. Not even close. In Proverbs 3:5-8, Solomon wrote some wise words about how to live life. Let’s take a look.
ESV
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."
What did Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, tell us to trust God with? He said to trust God with ALL your heart and NOT to trust yourself. No matter how wise you are, you still need God to show you where to go and what to do in life.
When we rely on God and make Him the focus of our life, He makes the paths we walk in life straight, like the balance beam. He shares His wisdom with us and keeps us from walking toward things that will cause us to fall off.
Even the wise Solomon struggled with fully relying on God. Sometimes he thought the wisdom God had shared with him made him wise enough to walk his own path. Guess what happened when he tried that? Yep. He fell off the balance beam, and God had to help him back up!
So if God’s wisdom helps us make good choices and live life well, how do we get more of it? I have good news! The answer is pretty simple. Ask!
In the Bible, Solomon shows us how to gain more of God’s wisdom. Go to God through prayer and ask Him to make you wise. Ask Him to help you trust Him with all of your heart. Ask Him to guide you away from evil. Ask Him to hold your hand and lead you down the straight path.
We will never be as wise as King Solomon. But if you’ve trusted Jesus as your Savior, you can ask God to give you the wisdom needed to walk the balance beam of life and make good choices. He will help you walk a straight path.