“My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not thy law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (KJV, Prov. 6:20-23).
“My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not thy law of thy mother”
Father, You have been good to me, and I thank You for Your commandments. You have shown me Your love in Christ and have given me a lamp unto my feet. I see that I have not lived up to Your commands but rather that I have sinned against You. Please forgive me for my sin. You deserve my obedience.
However, there are many times in which I have disobeyed. You have made me into a new creation, but my full redemption has not been accomplished. One day I will be with You in glory, but sin remains as I walk on this earth.
Forgive me, Lord, and show me how to keep Your Word. I am told that Jesus is the Vine, and I am the branch. Would You bear fruit in my life this day? I am told that the fruit I bear is the fruit of the Spirit. Would you teach me not to trust in myself but look to You and depend on You for growth?
“Bind them continually upon thine heart”
Help me to remember Your Word and Your commands. Would you work in my heart and show me how I should live? If my heart is right, so will my life be. I need You to work within my heart and cleanse it from defilement. In Ezekiel, I read of the New Covenant promises.
When I became a Christian, I was told that You took out my heart of stone and gave me a new heart so I would carefully obey Your commands and rules. Thank You, Lord, would You make Your Word evident to me. Would you manifest the realities of Your Word in my life? I still see the flaws in my heart.
I would desire to be a one-hundred-fold Christian. Jesus told me of the parable of the sower and the seed that yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Take me beyond the norm. Take me beyond simple Christianity and the norm and into a relationship with You characterized by exceptional yields. Work in my heart this day.
“and tie them about thy neck”
Teach me to store Your Word in my heart so I might not sin against You. However, I pray that as I look to Your law, I will never forget that I cannot fulfill your law apart from the help of Jesus. Jesus has told me that apart from Him, I can do nothing. Sometimes I look to Your law and try to obey without Christ’s help. I am often like Peter, who was self-confident and failed.
Teach me what it means to be humble. Teach me that I can do nothing apart from Your help, but when I humble myself before You, I will have the grace I need to walk with Christ. Jesus has told me His yoke is easy and His burned is light. What does this mean? I often feel Your commands are hard, not light. Therefore, I must be doing something wrong.
Therefore, I am forced to conclude that I often seek to do the will of God without Jesus’ help. Help me to take Your yoke, Jesus. Teach me to walk with You and follow Your leading.
“When thou goest, it shall lead thee”
Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and for that, I am thankful. Without Your Word and revelation, I would not know where to go. I would be lost in a dark world. I would be cast into the outer darkness of deception and lies. I would be as a blind man living amongst the blind.
But You have sent out Your Word to heal me and deliver me from my destruction. You have given me sight, and the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ has shone into my heart. You have given me the truth, which is the light for my way.
I pray that You would teach me the truth of Your Word. Satan is the father of lies, and I do not want to hear his voice. You have also spoken, but Satan often twists Your Word. Help me to understand Your Word and abide in Christ. I seek constant fellowship with the Savior but am often thrown off track. Keep me close, and do not allow the enemy to come against the truth of Your Word.
“when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee”
You are a God Who has promised to keep me. Your Word tells me that You will finish the work that You have started in my life. Elsewhere, I read that while Satan seeks to bring me to ruin, nobody will pluck me out of Your hand. Finally, I am informed that nothing will separate me from the love of Christ.
What encouragement I have in Your Word. The promised Holy Spirit has sealed me, and He has been given to me as a deposit of what is to come. I have been made a child of God, and You are a faithful Father. I have received the righteousness of Christ and have already been declared righteous before You.
“and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee”
Speak to me through Your Word. I need to hear Your voice. I would desire to not simply read Your Word but to spend time with You. Studying Your Word can become an academic pursuit, guard my heart against such pride. Even the enemy knows Your Word, but Your face does not shine upon him.
Would You give me ears to hear Your voice? I need Jesus to heal me of my infirmities and give me spiritual life. In Christ, there is life, but life is not found without Him. When Jesus came into the world, John told me that in Christ was life and His life was the light of men. Elsewhere, I am told that Jesus is the way, truth, and life. I can only hear your voice if Jesus helps me by His Spirit.
“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light”
Your truth will give me the light I need in this dark world. Your commandment and Your law are ultimately glimpses of Your nature. You have revealed Who You are in Your law and shown me how I ought to live. Your commandment is good for me, but I pray that You will help me to remember that I am no longer under Your law.
Teach me to look to Christ first and not Your law. Teach me to abide in the Vine and allow Jesus to work in my life to fulfill Your will. I cannot keep Your law or accomplish Your will, but I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.
“and reproofs of instruction are the way of life”
Sometimes I can be offended by Your Word. Often I do not like to be corrected. However, Your Word tells me that reproofs of instruction are the way of life. This means that the path to life is filled with correction and reproof.
Teach me to be humble before You. If I choose not to humble myself, You will humble me. However, when I learn to walk humbly before You, You told me that You would exalt me and give me grace. I need Your grace to help me each day. I cannot fight the enemy without Your grace.
I cannot grow in Christ without Your grace. I cannot hear Your voice without Your grace. Nor can I stay on the path of life without Your grace. Thank You for Your reproofs and guidance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.