Pleasing Proverbs

So how is this Proverbs Project thing working out for you?  I hope well.  I must confess it has not been what I expected for myself.  I had read through Proverbs in a very focused way in preparation for this effort but now that we have entered into it and I am reading through Proverbs again I have struggled finding the same "focus" I had in preparation.  We have been running here and there for graduations, moving and mission trips and I was not getting out of this what I had wanted.  I was not really hearing these Proverbs in a deeper way like I had expected.

So, I confessed that and prayed for more focus and then in Proverbs 15:8 a little word hit me. The word is "pleases."  That verse says this, "The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him."  I became aware that I was very concerned about all this Proverbs Project pleasing me and had spent very little thought or effort on what pleases God.  So that became my focus and it is amazing what a difference it makes when we live to please God and not ourselves.  I began to ask myself, "What would be pleasing to the Lord?"  It is amazingly simple yet profound.

One of my favorite movies is "Chariots of Fire" based in part on the real life of runner and missionary Eric Lyddle.  In my favorite scene, Eric is training for the Olympics but his sister is troubled that his running is taking away his focus from God's work.  Eric takes his sister on a walk and explains to her his reasoning and his motive, "God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure."

What greater thing in life can we find than to feel God's pleasure?  I don't know how this Proverbs Project is working out for you but know that if you are seeking God's wisdom for your life, you are running where you can feel His pleasure.  Keep going.

For the journey...

Tim