May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that you way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!--Psalm 67:1-5
Proverbs 18:10-15
1. Which phrases describe who you have been and who you'd like to be?
I have been both prideful and humble, as described in vers 12, "Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor." I desire to be only humble. Pride, at least the kind described here, is not worthy of my desire.
I have also been one who is both rude and stupid, as defined in verse 13, "Answering before listening is both stupid and rude."
I have a strong desire to be like those described in verse 15, "Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights." In these troubled times, we all need to be listening for fresh insights. We just have to be careful where we get them.
2. What fears do you have about what might happen to you if you were humble? How might these fears be addressed by living in God's name, God's power, and God's presence as your place of protection?
Wow. I think everyone fears being walked all over or taken advantage of for being humble. In the business world of today, humility is not respected very much. Well, not by those in authority over you. However, I think it is respected by anyone who might be under your authority.
However, if we lived under the conditions described here, as defined by verse 10 of our passage, "GOD's name is a place of protection--good people can run there and be safe," those fears would definitely be unfounded.
Personally, I can't even begin to imagine a life lived under those conditions. It would be glorious. I wish I could say I lived that way. Maybe I can, eh? Maybe you can.
3. What touches you most about this passage?
Verse 10 and 15. I've already quoted both of them. I want to live under God's protection. And I want to be one who constantly lives seeking fresh insights of God's wisdom.
4. What is occurring in your life right now that this passage addresses?
Verse 14 says, "A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?" Sometimes I feel like my spirit is crushed. But that's really kind of absured, because I've had a pretty good week, spiritually. I've been not completely well, physically, though, and that contributes to an unhealthy spirit. Anyway, I don't feel like I've "conquered adversity" very well.
Verse 15 really resonates in me, too. I need to be about always learning. If I ever stop learning, I've stopped living.
Grace and peace, friends.