There’s No Excuse

Does not wisdom cry out,And understanding lift up her voice?She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,Beside the way, where the paths meet.She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,At the entrance of the doors:“To you, O men, I call,And my voice is to the sons of men.O you simple ones, understand prudence,And you fools, be of an understanding heart.Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,And from the opening of my lips will come right things;For my mouth will speak truth;Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”

Proverbs 8:1-7 (NKJV)

No excuse. That is what I’ll call the message of today’s proverb. There is absolutely no excuse for any of us to make foolish choices or foolish decisions, because God is so eager to make wisdom available. All we have to do is pause and pray, and God will, as he promised, give us wisdom at every crossroads and for every need.

George Müller is one of the great heroes of the faith. He housed and cared for over twenty-three thousand orphans in the 1800s without asking anyone but God for support. When seeking God’s wisdom in a matter, he said, “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be.” Müller’s life is living proof that God is a God who hears our cries for help and he is a God who answers.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Do you ever look back and ask yourself why you made some of the big decisions in your life? Do you wonder, What was I thinking? I do. Regretfully, I sometimes wonder, Why wasn’t I praying? I can attribute every wrong turn and every careless decision to the fact that I did not wholeheartedly, patiently seek the Lord’s direction and his perfect will before I moved ahead. Are you at a crossroads? Will you stop and ask and wait for God to give you the wisdom and insight you need? Take him at his promise; he will direct your paths.

One Year Bible Reading

Exodus 26:1–27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 8:1-11