Daily devotional, Feb 9, 2024The owl
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you."
Psalm 32:8
Owls have always been the animal that symbolizes wisdom and knowledge. One of the most prominent reasons was its association with the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena. But even Native American folklore connects these night birds to intellect.
For us Christians, wisdom is within reach. In His letter to the House of Israel, James, the half-brother of Jesus, assures that we can seek guidance from God if we fervently seek it.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."
James 1:5-6
Early in his reign, King Solomon, the successor of his father David, prayed earnestly to the Lord for wisdom to govern his people. And since the Lord was pleased with him because back then he loved the Lord and walked in His ways, the Lord acceded to His prayer request:
"And God said to him, because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you."
1 Kings 3:11-12
King Solomon is then known throughout history as the wisest man that ever lived. Several books of the bible have been attributed to his wise sayings, these include: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Songs of Solomon.
And so, we present day Chistians should take heart that our Lord is more than happy to guide our way. If we surrender our lives to Him and fully entrust our hearts, we could navigate through life’s ups and downs with the peace that only the Lord can give.
"Your word is a lamp to my feetand a light to my path." Psalm 119:105
The caveat though is that God’s guidance requires total dependence. The above mentioned verse from the Book of Psalms can be analysed literally. The Lord’s words are a “lamp on my feet, and a light to my path.” The passage says “lamp” and when you use a lamp in a dark place during the olden days, it will only illuminate the first one or two steps of the way. It is not a floodlight, therefore you will not see the entire pathway, much less get a peek of the destination.
Sometimes we want to know the end-result of surrendering our lives to God. If He will listen to our prayers, and what will happen in the end. But that is not how it works when you give your life to Jesus.
Once you decide to let Him light up your path, you will know which way to walk, but you have to keep listening. You have to draw near Him enough for you to hear His instructions so that you will know when to turn. And you can only hear the guidance if you have an intimate relationship with Him and when you read and treasure His words in your heart.
"And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."
Isaiah 30:21
So how do we get to play this out in our lives? Well, if we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and not just be on-paper Christians that only spend one hour a week with God, then we could count on His guidance. This is one of His promises and we can surely claim it no matter if it is a day-to-decision or a life-changing one.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:12-13
We have to intentionally seek God in our lives. After our daily quiet time, we should intentionally set apart time to soak up in God’s words. We should try to read and understand the passages, not just read it to fulfill our obligation for the day. As present day Christians, we should also take advantage of our access to credible websites that provide explanations about bible passages that we read. We should regularly devour this type of content.
If you think that you do not have the time, then just reassess your daily schedule. Can you possibly shave off at least 20% of the time you spend mindlessly scrolling your social media feed, and use that time to seek God’s guidance through the scriptures? Recent studies show that adults spend at least two hours per day using social media. And that is just the average use.
"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time."
John Piper
We should also find joy in memorizing scriptures, and keeping visual reminders of them. Journalling is another way to enjoy the word and learn from it.
"his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night”
Psalm 1:2
Once we have established a Bible reading habit, we should also take the time to join bible study classes. Christianity is not a lone ranger affair as they say, and we grow in faith with fellow believers studying and living the Word with us.
When we start treasuring the Lord’s words and promises in our hearts, intentionally spend time with Him, and follow His commands, we somehow get to make better decisions. We get to forge a better path for our lives because our will starts to align with His.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 1 Kings 3:3-15and Isaiah 30:12-14 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you treasure the Lord’s words in your heart?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the guidance and wisdom that we need to follow you and live the life you have planned for us. Give me encouragement to remain disciplined and committed to soak up in your words and live my faith, so that I could make God-honoring decisions for me and my family. Amen.