Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 3:24, The Secret to a Good Night’s Sleep

by Marilynn Chadwick

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

Proverbs 3:24 NIV

I remember the time our children’s school observed that a growing number of students were experiencing symptoms of sleep deprivation. They sent out an email reminding parents of the importance of ensuring our kids got enough sleep—especially those in high school.

Today’s world, it would seem, is suffering from a sleep crisis. We are bombarded by the number of supplements and medications promising to help us sleep. Sleepless nights often go hand in hand with the alarming increase in anxiety. This sharp rise in extreme worry, reported among all age groups, has become a mental health crisis.

God’s Word has much to say about the importance of sound sleep. It also exhorts us to care for our minds. When we walk in wisdom, as Proverbs teaches, we will be careful to guard our minds from anxious thinking. This, in turn, helps us sleep better. “You will rest without a worry and sleep soundly” (Proverbs 3:24b CEV).

According to Proverbs, part of the secret to a good night’s rest is to avoid overwork and excessive labor to gain wealth. We are warned about the dangers of relentless drudgery. “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich; be smart enough to stop” (Proverbs 23:4 CEB). In its place, the Bible mandates a Sabbath rhythm that both respects our need for rest and honors God (Exodus 20:98-10).

Rest is a vital gift for human well-being. The Bible emphasizes a beautiful balance that stresses diligence and hard work while avoiding the anxiety-producing frenzy we see all around us. “Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:6 NIV).

I like how the Message Bible’s paraphrase of Proverbs 3:21 reminds us of the ways wisdom benefits our body, soul, and Spirit. And especially how trusting God is the real secret to a good night’s sleep and anxiety-free living:

“Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don’t for a minute lose sight of them. They’ll keep your soul alive and well, they’ll keep you fit and attractive. You’ll travel safely, you’ll neither tire nor trip. You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry; you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; he’ll keep you safe and sound” (Proverbs 3:21-26 MSG).

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 10:8, Don’t Forget to Execute

by Marilynn Chadwick

“The wise in heart will accept and obey commandments, but the foolish of lips will fall headlong.”

Proverbs 10:8 AMPC

In the Hebrew language, the words "listen" and "obey" are represented by the word “shema.” This means to hear, pay attention, and act upon what is heard. It embodies the concept that true listening includes obedience.

In Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Old and New Testaments, there is no distinct word for "obey." Listening and doing are considered two sides of one action. We see this sentiment expressed in James, often called the Proverbs of the New Testament. “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22 NIV). Another word for translating ideas into actions is “execute.”

For any business, the ability to execute is critical to the bottom line. In spiritual matters, we execute when we live out the truths we’ve learned in Scripture—we put feet on our faith. Proverbs and James exhort believers to execute—to be doers as well as hearers of God’s Word. "Faith without works is dead,” James challenges (James 2:26 NKJV).

God’s Word calls us to dig deep. Do we really believe our beliefs, or do we merely hold an intellectual assent to the faith? “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like (James 1:23, 24).

Do we truly believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection covered our sin? If so, that belief should propel us into a life of action and good deeds. Have we found practical ways to be both a hearer and a doer of God’s commands and his calling?

Mother eagles are known to be quite nurturing. Yet their method for teaching their young ones to fly is a swift push out of the nest. They swoop down and catch the baby eaglets as they falter, repeating the flight lesson again and again until the little ones are soaring like... well, eagles! Just like a mama eagle, God sometimes pushes us out of our cozy nest of faith with a call to action. We may hear the Holy Spirit whisper, “Go there, to that one who needs the Father’s love. Serve this broken one over here. Share your living water with this thirsty one.”

Our heart begins to beat faster in response to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. We step out...take a risk...and find that our faith takes wings. We become doers, not just hearers of the Word. Our trust grows, and before you know it, we are soaring like an eagle!

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 3:13, Wisdom’s Reward

by Marilynn Chadwick

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.”

Proverbs 3:13 NIV

People talk a lot about profitable investments and especially the ROI, or “return on investment.” According to Proverbs, there are very few investments in life as profitable as the gaining of wisdom. Threaded throughout Proverbs are admonitions to seek wisdom. The gain from wisdom is “better than gain from silver, and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 3:14,15 ESV).

Do you want to be wise? King Solomon sure did. And God blessed him mightily for his prayer (1 Kings 3:5-15). If we lack wisdom, we, too, should ask God. It's a prayer he loves to answer (James 1:5).

But James warns us about the dangers of mere “earthly wisdom.” He calls this kind of wisdom “unspiritual and demonic” (James 3:15 NIV). He contrasts earthly wisdom with heavenly wisdom: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17,18).

Earthly wisdom has a swagger about it. It is power-hungry. Commanding. In control. “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16). Eve found earthly wisdom irresistible. And tragically sometimes, so do we.

James reminds us that true wisdom from heaven produces humility: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13). But make no mistake. This wisdom is anything but weak. It comes with its own reward.

The Greek word “praus,” translated as “humility,” implies bridled power. Praus is the very same word Jesus used when he said, "I am gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29). It’s the only instance in the New Testament where he described himself.

Think about it. Jesus, the all-powerful king of the universe, described himself as humble. In his presence, the sick were healed. The dead were raised. Demons trembled. Jesus was true wisdom from God in human form. That’s the most powerful and the most profitable kind of wisdom on earth—the wisdom that comes from above.