If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. (Proverbs 24:10 CSB)
Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterward, build your house. (Proverbs 24:27 CSB)
Several years ago I began reading the book of Proverbs each month. With 31 chapters in the collection, it fits nicely into a monthly routine of gathering knowledge, understanding and wisdom. For my reading today, two pieces of wisdom leapt off the page and landed in my spirit. The first is this…
If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. (Proverbs 24:10 CSB)
Isn’t it true that the only time we feel like quitting is when things aren’t going well? The plans we made for our lives are not coming together and it seems like the struggle is no longer worth any effort. So, we alter the plans, or worse yet…we do nothing.
Doing nothing in difficult times stops progress, promotes discouragement, and can ultimately lead to depression. Each of these effects tend to limit our strength. We become weak physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sometimes just doing something keeps us in the fight.
WISDOM PRINCIPLE Do something during difficult times that will keep you strong and inspire you to keep fighting!
The second wisdom principle is found in verse 27…
Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterward, build your house. Proverbs 24:27 CSB
This verse speaks to the value of priorities. Isn’t it true that we often prioritize the things that will produce comfort? Our natural thought processes go to the immediate need. Doesn’t it make sense that we would need a house to live in? So, we want to build the house first. The smarter move, according to the writer of Proverbs, is to plant the crop first. Do the plowing and planting before even thinking about where you will lay your head at night.
Why? Because the harvest will be growing while you build the house if you plant the seed first. By the time the house is complete, you will see the crop is ready to be harvested. If you wait until the house is built you will have wasted the season for growth.
WISDOM PRINCIPLE Planting seed should always precede securing comfort. The harvest will grow while you are building your house.
People succeed in difficult times when they put forth the effort to obtain pertinent knowledge, pursue understanding, and activate wisdom principles. I pray that you learn from the two I’ve shared today.
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the wisdom found in your Word. Help me to succeed in pursuing wisdom and activating it in my life. Give me strength in difficult times so I will not quit. Help me to invest whatever strength I have left into planting the seeds that will ultimately produce a harvest of victory. Amen.
Thinking Out Loud 