For about a decade now, in addition to the other places that I read in scripture, I have been reading through Proverbs every month. I have done this consistently with the exception of taking a break for one month in the past couple of years. My point isn’t to make note of how wonderful or faithful I am, it is to point out something I have missed. I will come to that.
There is an expression, ‘the tyranny of the familiar.’ We become accustomed or used to things and no longer notice them. Many years ago, I read about how we stop seeing things due to their familiarity so I went around the house and moved all of the pictures so they were a bit crooked. It broke the familiar pattern and I noticed them more, as did my wife, which led to me straightening them again! That aside, it is easy to not notice things. So, in my reading this week on the 23rd I noticed this verse. I don’t know how many times I have read it, likely a couple of hundred at least, but this time it stood out to me, I ‘noticed’ it. I think it was the Holy Spirit’s way of getting my attention and I read it as a message to those of us who are part of His body.
26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. Proverbs 23:26 (NKJV)
I know this was Solomon addressing his son, that is the historical and literal context. However, as noted above, I believe there is a spiritual application for all of us. Setting aside the issue of gender, the message to all of us is to do two things, give Him our hearts and use our eyes to observe His ways. We will get to how we are to do that, but first to some meanings. The Hebrew word for heart is the commonly used leb, which refers to the literal heart and to the metaphorical heart, the inner being. The word observe is more interesting. The Hebrew is ratsah and it quite literally means to be pleased with or delight in. In fact, my interlinear Old Testament translates the passage as, “give my son your heart to me and your eyes my ways let them delight in.” The NASB translates it as follows.
26 Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes delight in my ways. Proverbs 23:26 (NASB95)
Now to the application. Clearly the testimony of scripture in many places is that we are to give Jesus our hearts. What I want to focus on here is what it means to observe or delight in His ways, which I think is intricately linked to how and what we notice. Some of this is expressed by David in Psalm 27.
4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8 (NKJV)
Here David expressed his desire to behold Yahweh’s beauty and referenced the response of his heart to Yahweh’s call.
For us I am here providing some examples of observing and delighting in His ways in the lives of others, not focusing on ourselves. In these examples I used what I observed or noticed to speak encouragement into their lives. First, I was at a men’s church retreat last spring and observed the behaviour of someone I knew. He was constantly looking out for others, helping etc. After the weekend I sent him a text message saying that was the most impactful experience I had at the event. Later in person I talked to him about the pastoral/shepherding anointing I was aware of on his life as a way to encourage him, which it did.
Another example, I have a friend who carries a prophetic anointing. When I first met him a number of years ago, he was somewhat in denial about the gift he carries but as I and others spoke to him about what we saw of the Lord’s work in his life he became more accepting of the gift he carries. As we have continued our walk together, he has exercised his gift more to bless others, myself included.
I have more examples but these illustrate the point. We are called to observe what Jesus is doing in the lives of others and bless it so that it grows. So, we come to this, what are you noticing/observing Jesus doing in the lives of others? How can deepen/strengthen Jesus’ work in their lives through your encouragement?
