“Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil” (KJV, Prov. 4:24-27) .
“Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee”
Father, I thank You for the many ways in which You have shown me mercy along the way. I recognize my deep need for Your mercy and Your grace this day. I pray that You would forgive me for my sins and help me to walk in Your ways. Thank You for the forgiveness that is found in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the blood of Christ that washes my sins away.
As I look at the verse today, I see that there are ways in which I fall short of Your commands. I see the ways that I have not upheld Your law, and I come before You pleading for Your help. I recognize the way in which James spoke of the tongue and how it must be tamed. I see the ways that I have praised You and cursed others. I pray that You would bestow mercy. I pray that You would assist me by the power of Your Holy Spirit to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight.
I cannot be Who You have called me to be without Your help. You have given me Your Word and Your Spirit. You have made me into a new creation. You have given me life. You have done much to assist me as of yet. However, I still need Your constant supply of strength in the midst of this life. I pray that You would strengthen me this day to walk with You in greater measure. I also need You to give me wisdom, Lord, and I pray that You would supply me richly.
“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee”
Father, I also see the way in which I can get very distracted. I thank You for the ways that You continue to draw me back to Yourself. I thank You for the ways that You remind me of Your goodness. I pray that You would help me to stay on the straight and narrow path. I find that it is hard to walk along the path at times, but I also see that You have given me a guide. You tell me that it is Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and that Your Word will illuminate my path.
I pray that You would assist me in knowing what Your Word says. Give me wisdom to know Your Word and to apply Your Word to my life. Please, Father, I pray that You would help me to focus on the mission at hand. I pray that You would help me to be kingdom-minded and Christ-centered. I pray that I would not seek to set up my own little kingdom, but that I would bow the knee to You in humble submission. Please, Father, teach me to fix my gaze straight before me.
“Ponder the path of thy feet”
Father, I thank You for the reminders that You have given me in Your Word. I thank You for Your love toward me. I see the way in which I must remember to ponder the path of my feet. I see that there is a trend among the inhabitants of the earth: It would appear as though there are many who do not give much thought to the path which they are traveling down. It is not true that all paths lead to heaven. Your Word tells me that there is only one way to You, that it is a narrow path, and that there are few who find it.
I see how the people of the day are believing a lie. They do not know the truth as they ought to. They do not ponder the path of their feet but instead take this life and your patience toward them for granted. I pray that You would help me. Please, Lord, teach me to ponder the path of my feet often. Teach me to be concerned with the path I take and where I walk. You are worthy of my devotion. You are worthy of my worship.
“and let thy ways be established”
I see in my life that I have much work to do. I see that there are times when I am seemingly walking down the wrong the path, as well. I find that I am not established in You as much as I would like to be. In one sense, Your Word says that I am secure as long as I am a Christian. Your Word tells me that I am established in Christ and that You will finish the good work that You started. However, there is a law waging war within my soul. I find that I am not as established as I should be from an experiential standpoint.
Establish me in Your Word this day. I pray that I would set my feet upon the solid rock of Christ and Your Word. I pray that I would be like the wise man who built his house upon the rock. I see the great benefits of doing such a thing, for when the floods came and beat upon his house, it stood in the midst of great chaos. Please, Father, establish me this day and help me to walk in Your ways.
“Turn not to the right hand nor to the left”
As You establish me in Your Word and I come alongside You, I pray that You would guard my eyes, guard my heart, guard my ears, and guard my steps. Your Word tells me that I am also to guard the deposit that has been entrusted to me. Teach me to watch and pray so that I would not fall into temptation. I know that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. I know that he is seeking to destroy me, for Satan has only come to steal, kill, and destroy. I pray that You would lead me not into temptation, Lord, but please deliver me from evil.
I pray that You would help me to apply what You have told me in the book of Hebrews 12:1-2. In this verse, I see Christ: the One Whom I must focus upon. I often get distracted and find that I am not giving Him much thought. Please renew my vision this day and fix my eyes upon Him. I pray that You would help me not to take my gaze off of my Savior. I thank You for the work of Christ. Even more so, I thank You for the person of Christ. I see in Christ a compassionate Savior Who loves me and is ready to help me when I need Him. I see in Christ a forgiving God Who loves me more than I could ever imagine.
“remove thy foot from evil”
I pray that the goodness and kindness of Christ would lead me to repentance. I pray that the love of Christ would compel me, much like it did the apostle Paul. I cannot remove my foot from evil unless I find a good reason to do so. Sin is too powerful for me; it is too strong a force to simply overcome apart from a strong desire to the contrary. But in Christ, I see a reason. In Christ, I see One Who is desirable to the highest degree.
I see in Christ my hope of glory and my surety in heaven. I pray that You would increase my love for Christ. I pray that You would refresh me in the person of Christ this day. I pray that You would remove my foot from evil and purge me of that which plagues me. I thank You for my merciful and faithful High Priest and that I can approach the seat of mercy to find grace to help me in my time of need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.