"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. My child, do not reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights."

– Proverbs 3:5-12

Hello RLC community! I hope you are all doing well!

This passage in Proverbs really connected to my life recently. With the situation we are in with COVID-19, I have had a lot of time on my hands, and I’ve been trying to grow in my relationship with the Lord. I think I have actually felt the closest I’ve ever felt to God in these last couple of months. There are days I feel more distant, but I still know that God is my constant and will never leave me. A couple particular parts of this passage that really called to me to write about today were verses 5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” and 11-12, “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves.”

Personal Connection

Recently I have been enjoying seeing the sunset every night and finding new places to see it. I feel very connected to God and creation when I see the day ending with such a beautiful display of colors and the center being the sun. One night a couple weeks ago I went to Lake Josephine and stood out on the dock to watch the sunset. This sunset was unlike any other I'd ever seen. There were paint strokes of pastel colors and clouds of cotton candy and streaks from planes, all in one sky. It could only have been created by the hand of God. During my time on the dock, I frequently checked to make sure I had all my belongings; my keys, my phone and my wallet. Each time I checked I was relieved to not have dropped them into the lake. Right before leaving, I checked one last time, and realized with alarm that my keys were gone. I searched everywhere and finally concluded that my keys were in the lake. I backtracked when I got out of my car, went to the dock and searched everywhere, just hoping they would show up and that I was wrong that they were in the lake. At this time, the lake was just barely unfrozen, so I knew it would not be safe for me to jump in and search for them, despite my panic. I prayed and prayed, pleading to God to send a miracle, to just lay my keys before me, to display himself. I wanted God to just do this one thing for me, so I didn't have to deal with the consequences of my actions. I never did find them, my mom and I went back to the lake with shovels and other tools to try to dig it up out of the lake, but it was hopeless. The next day we got two new keys and my permission to use the car was uncertain at this point.

A few days later, I wanted to go see the sunset somewhere else with a friend in our separate cars, so I asked my mom to use the car. When she told me I couldn’t, I was really mad. I started yelling and coming up with reasons she had to let me use it. I promised I wouldn’t lose the keys again and I would be very careful. She wouldn’t let me. I was so mad that I got on my bike and left my house in tears. I biked with my anger, not really to any particular destination, just to get away. There is a field near my house that I like to go to during sunsets and that is a place I’ve had many God encounters. I decided to bike there, and I just stood there in the middle of the field. I wasn’t really mad at that point, more exhausted from all the crying and anger. I asked the Lord to speak to me and tell me what to do. I asked him to lead me through the rest of the night, because at that point I could not depend on myself to know what I should do.

The sunset that night was absolutely incredible, it looked like when a movie has a shot of heaven; with the white fluffy clouds letting the rays of sun shine through them. I knew God was right there with me. I was not alone. A thought popped into my head that I knew could not have been my own, only the words of the Lord and they said,

Be the voice of joy, not the voice of anger.

Be the voice of peace, not the voice of unrest.

I knew exactly what I had to do. God was telling me to bike home and apologize to my mom. Just like the verse above, I had to put aside my own pride and accept his correction. I don’t know about you, but personally, I have a really hard time apologizing, especially when I know that I’m wrong and have acted in an irrational way. The whole bike ride home I could feel the Lord right beside me. I knew he wouldn’t leave me to do this on my own.

I think of the sun as the eye of Lord, so every time I looked to see the sun setting, I knew he was looking directly at me. When the wind brushed past me, I sensed that it was God physically telling me he was there. When I got home I kept repeating those words he placed in my mind, “be the voice of joy, not the voice of anger, be the voice of peace not the voice of unrest.” I got inside and apologized to my mom and felt a weight fall, tears flooded out of me, and I knew that this was a God moment I would never forget. The rest of the night he led me to sing some worship songs and then write a few letters to send to my friends. The Lord turned my night around and left me with a new-found knowledge of my connection to him and the joy he can bring, even in our worst circumstances.

The Lord corrected me, and led me, and never left me, so I could accept that correction. He corrected me like a father might, with love and companionship. He told me what I needed to do to fix my mistake, but never once left my side, because he knew I couldn’t do it on my own.

The verse directly after the passage, verse 13 says “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.”

The past few months my motto has been to choose joy. When you seek the wisdom of God, you will experience a joy so full, like no happiness you’ve ever felt before. He will guide you to live how he wants you live, all you have to do is listen and accept him. Know that he does everything out of love for you, and he is always beside you. Even during this time of uncertainty, he is here, and he won’t leave us. I hope you find comfort and encouragement in my words. Seek God above all else, he will not fail you.

– Katie Hatteberg

Questions for Reflection

• How can you apply this passage to your life?
• How can you seek God’s wisdom above your own understanding?
• In what area of your life can you seek His discipline and open the door to His correction?

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you for all those who are reading this. I pray that you would help each and every one of us to seek your wisdom above our own understanding. I pray that you would be clear in your correction and lead us to your joy. We thank you for your unfailing love. Thank you for your overwhelming peace and grace. Please provide your guidance to lead us on the paths you want for our lives. We love you and we need you. Amen