Proverbs – R – Us

Posted on 10. Apr, 2008 by frank in faith, spiritual growth

My wife and I have been reading through Proverbs together each night for a few weeks now. Many people I admire read through Proverbs on a monthly basis by simply reading the chapter that corresponds with the current date. Their wisdom has motivated me to do this from time to time. Since today is the 10th of April we read Proverbs chapter 10. The verses in this chapter that spoke to me all revolved around how I choose to communicate to others. Some people think I’m crazy when I say that I love confrontation but it is not the confrontation alone that I love. It is the end result of the confrontation that I enjoy. Especially when it happens in a healthy way.

Here were the verses that spoke to me this evening from Proverbs 10 and the translation we have been reading comes from The Message:

9 Honesty lives confident and carefree,
but Shifty is sure to be exposed.

God, help me to be honest with the people I communicate with.

10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead,
but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.

God, help me to confront others face to face during challenging times.

11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well,
but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

God, help me to be a good and encouraging person.

13 You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight,
but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.

God, help me to be a person of insight.

14 The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;
know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.

God, help me to not have a know it all attitude.

19 The more talk, the less truth;
the wise measure their words.

God, help me to measure my words.

20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for;
the blabber of the wicked is worthless.

God, help my speech to be the speech of a good person.

21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many,
but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

God, help me to not be a chatterbox.

32 The speech of a good person clears the air;
the words of the wicked pollute it.

God, help me to be a person that clears the air.

As you can see I wrote a one sentence prayer under each of the verses that meant something to me. Those verses became my prayer for tonight. I find using the proverbs to help me pray is a good exersize in my faith and it really does help me to learn about myself. I think we all need to shop at Proverbs – R – Us from time to time.