Proverbs 19 – if you haven’t read my thoughts on the book of Proverbs yet, you’ll want to do so here. This isn’t a comprehensive look at each verse, but it is how God spoke to me through particular chapter of His Word at this particular chapter in my life. I encourage you to read the full chapter in your own Bible first so you can see how God wants to speak to you through this chapter, and so you don’t miss out on the verses I didn’t cover. I hope it can speak to you as well, and I hope you are encouraged to seek Him in His Word. And if you missed Proverbs 18, you should also check that out here.  Otherwise, on to Proverbs 19!  

19:2 – Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes (NLT). Prayer – God, help me to anchor my enthusiasm with knowledge and wisdom before I act. Help me to slow down and live life on purpose. Show me how to build a foundation of wisdom in my life.

19:2 – To act without knowing how you function is not good; and if you rush ahead, you will miss your goal (CJB). I just love the aspect this translation gives to this verse. It is a good and biblical thing to invest our time in really unearthing how we function. For anything we are a part of, it is good to evaluate ourselves as an individual, as a group, and as an individual who is part of a group. It’s a long process, and never finished. Committing time to assess our true motivation, why we do the things we do, makes our work better and more sustainable. We won’t give up when what we set out to do gets difficult. Prayer – God, thank You for knowing me better than I know myself. Teach me about myself. Help me slow down and not rush plans. Help me ask the hard questions of myself by teaching me what questions to ask myself. Give me strength to continue my search until I find the answer.

19:3 – People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord (NLT). Prayer – God, please let me never blame you for my own poor decisions.

19:8 – To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper (NLT). Prayer – God, teach me how to acquire wisdom and had more wisdom to my life. Let this be true of my life that I always cherish understanding.

19:11 – A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense (CSB). When we understand who God is and how He works through His Word, that insight gives us patience to be able to wait for anything.

19:15a – Laziness induces deep sleep (CSB). When we start to be lazy, the laziness multiplies and makes us even more lazy. We should take care though, to not mistake true rest for laziness, as rest is a vital part of the rhythms of life.

19:19 – A person with intense anger bears the penalty; if you rescue him, you’ll have to do it again (CSB). I love how insightful the Bible is to the general human condition. Intense anger is a repeat offender, and not easily broken. It takes work on our part to break the cycle of anger in our lives, and as long as we first look to God to help us with that journey, He alone can take us past our anger. Prayer – God, give me the strength to break the cycle of anger in my life, and to not act or react out of anger.

19:21 – Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail (CSB). This verse has been one of the greatest comforts in my life. Knowing that God will still fulfill His will in my life takes so much pressure off me for busy work and doing things just for the sake of doing. It has helped me to rest and trust in His plan for my life, and have patience that He will bring it to pass. Not that I am idle or inactive, but it’s taken the frenzy out of my plans thinking that I’m the only one who can make it happen. Prayer – God, teach me how to trust you and be patient. Align my plans with the plans you have for me.

19:22a – Loyalty makes a person attractive (NLT). I just think that is a beautiful sentiment, and wanted to include it in today’s chapter. Prayer – God, help me to stay deeply loyal to all those in my life.

19:25 – Strike a mocker, and the inexperienced will learn (CSB). We can learn from other’s mistakes.

19:27 – If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge (NLT). Prayer – God, let me never stop listening to instruction. And help me to discern between good instruction and bad instruction.

19:29b – The mouth of the wicked swallows wrong doing (CJB). Prayer – God, give me the strength to not stay silent when I witness wrongdoing. Give me the right words to stay to stand against those who are trying to harm others.

Friend, I have prayed these same prayers over you today. I pray that you will have strength to slow down and take time to learn about yourself, and as you learn more about how you function, may your plans will align with the plans God has for you. I pray you will learn what it looks like for you personally to trust in God more and more each day, to trust in His plans for you and trust that He is your refuge.

Until next time,

– Just a girl pursuing her reflection in the mirror of God’s Word

Scripture quotations marked (CJB) are taken from the Complete Jewish Bible, Copyright © 1998 and 2016 by David H. Stern. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (CSB) are taken from the Christian Standard Bible® Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.