Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” There is a particular kind of unease that comes when we cannot see how something will turn out. We may have gathered the facts, considered the possibilities and thought carefully about what we should do, yet still find…

Colossians 1:9 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;” Daily devotion There is something revealing about the things we ask God for when we…

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Yesterday we considered the voice of God saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Today Paul brings that guidance down into the ordinary business of actually living. Once we know the direction in which God is…

Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” There are moments when we would gladly exchange almost anything for certainty. We reach a crossroads and both paths seem possible.…

Proverbs 16:2 “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.” We are remarkably good at explaining ourselves to ourselves. When we make a decision, we usually have reasons for it. When we speak sharply, there was pressure. When we withdraw from someone, there was history.…

Psalm 139:23–24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” There are prayers that ask God to change our circumstances, and there are prayers that ask God to change us. Psalm 139…

Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” One of the most difficult things for any of us to recognise is the possibility that we may be wrong. Most of the time, we do not deliberately choose what we believe to be…

Psalm 25:4–5 “Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” There is a quiet humility in David’s prayer. He does not ask God simply to bless the road he…

Psalm 119:59–60 “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” There are moments when the wisest thing we can do is stop long enough to notice where we are going. Much of life is lived in motion. We move from one…

Proverbs 19:20 “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” There is a particular temptation that comes with experience. The longer we live, the more we have seen. We have made decisions, survived difficulties, learned from mistakes and developed opinions about how the world works. Experience can certainly produce…

1 Kings 3:9 “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” There is something revealing about what we ask for when we are given the opportunity. If we could place one request…

Psalm 119:66 “Teach me good judgment and knowledge; for I have believed thy commandments.” We live in an age overflowing with information, yet information and wisdom are not the same thing. We can know more facts than previous generations could have imagined and still make poor decisions. We can have instant access to news, opinions,…