Proverbs 3:7
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Is there a direct link between your spiritual life and your health? This verse says there is. We can think we are healthy, yet be soul-sick and not even know it. Your body may be sending you subtle red flags that your spiritual life needs attention.
This verse gives us three ways to bring health to our bodies and even nourishment to our bones. I hope you’re as intrigued as I am when I read this verse. After much reflection on this promise, I realized there is a valuable application for our lives.
Let’s discuss it and see how God guides us in our health.
Do not be wise in your own eyes. Ouch! That’s a powerful start! Being wise in your own eyes is another name for “pride”. God knows when we are full of ourselves, it eventually causes problems. We can become intolerant, inflexible, and not much fun to be around. Eventually, you feel stressed because everything aggravates you. After all, your expectations are high. Creating more stress in our lives takes its toll in every organ of our bodies. God knows this is a big one, and I think that’s why he lists it first.
How do we deal with being wise in our eyes? Humility.
Be kind, listen better. Let others have an opinion without having to have the last word. And above all else, pray about it and extend grace.
Fear the Lord and shun evil. Have a healthy reverent fear of the Lord. Not fear that you think you have to be perfect or God will be mad at you or that He’s keeping score of your failures. That’s not a loving relationship, and living on eggshells in your spiritual life will cause a lot of stress and be a joy stealer. Again, stress makes us sick.
What about evil? That’s a strong word. I think most of us would say we avoid evil. We know what it looks like, we read
about it in the news, and it’s something we would never partake in. We’re shocked, but we keep reading. There are things in the world that we give time to without a second thought that are evil. The word “shun” means to avoid, ignore, or reject. We are bombarded every day with headlines that can be shocking about what people are doing and saying. If we’re not careful, we can become desensitized, and these little bits of evil will keep accumulating in our souls.
How can you fear the Lord and shun evil? Pray with Holy reverence to God and protect your mind.
Pray and let God pour out His love on you. Have a healthy fear, and be in awe that you get to come before God’s throne with confidence and bring your heart, your desires, and your dreams before Him. And He listens. That’s a healthy fear that sets your mind and heart at rest. Stress is reduced, and health takes over.
Protect your mind. Don’t let your mind be an open door that garbage can come into, which can make you unwell in your thoughts.
Be on guard. Set boundaries and be stronger in what you listen to or read about. If it makes you feel yucky, stop.
We want to stay informed of what’s going on in the world so that we can pray bigger prayers. But the other junk, be done with it.
Nourishment to your body and health to your bones.
This is an incredible promise. God says He will bring nourishment to our bodies if we adhere to these instructions. This is life-sustaining and health. It feeds us and enables us to thrive. And health to our bones? Wow. I want that. We are flesh, bones, and spirit. We can be healthy down to our bones—the very core of our physical make-up. This is a beautiful promise for life and our quality of life.
Let’s pray over this verse and let God nourish us, bringing renewed health to our bodies and bones, and be spiritually healthy in the process.
Be done with pride, remember who He is, protect your mind, and let healing begin.
Until next time,
Pat
