Have you heard of the Proverbs 31 woman. It’s a passage in Proverbs 31:10-31 that tells of a super woman who is able to do so many things and begins with "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies." How many of you have heard of the Proverbs thirty-two man?
One person commendably shouted out on Sunday during my sermon, "There IS no Proverbs 32!" Which is true.
But there is a Proverbs 30:2. "Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man."
There were a few amens when I read that verse on Sunday, and there may even be a few wives who would claim this as a life-verse for their husbands!
If you, as a man or a woman, resemble this verse regarding discerning God's will, perhaps you should pray as I have often prayed to the Lord many times: "Father, I cannot discern Your will, so will You close doors and don’t let me open them. Or, if it be Your will, would You open doors and do not let me close them."
God has answered that in my life so many times. I base that on a couple of verses, primarily Revelation 3:7-8. 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says, He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."
We also see it in Isaiah 22:22. "The key of the house of David, I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open."
When God shuts a door that you wanted open or opens a door that you really wanted Him to shut, we must seek not only His will, but also our having a right heart attitude. The Bible says that His ways are not always our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts.
It also reminds us of two absolute rules:
1) There is a God.
2) You are not Him!
Proverbs twice says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death," (see 14:12, 16:25).
In all humility, we must confess Proverbs 30:2 at least in comparison to God's knowledge. Rest in His sovereignty and have the wisdom at least to know the difference between the things we can and cannot change.
If you are in this stage of life when you cannot see God's hand, trust God's heart and pray this prayer to God,
"Father, I will trust you in revealing Your will in my life. I relinquish my desires for Yours, my foolishness for Your wisdom. Comfort me when I do not know what is right, I can always trust that what You do cannot be wrong. In Jesus's Name, Amen."
