Dear Faith Family,

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.  It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones, Proverbs 3:7-8.

Not too long ago my wife gave me a bird feeder that is squirrel proof.  When a squirrel puts his/her weight on the feeder, it begins to rotate.  I’m not sure if she bought it for the entertainment value or so that I would quit removing the squirrels from our yard.

Yesterday I heard a commotion on the back porch.  My wife was beside herself.  A squirrel was on the feeder feasting on the birdseed.  I’m not sure if she was more concerned about the birdseed or the failure of the feeder to entertain us.

What was the problem?  The battery in the feeder was dead.  It needed to be recharged.  Time, weather, and use had drained the battery.

You and I are not unlike that feeder.  We, too, can get drained.  People, circumstances, grief, responsibilities, sickness, lack of sleep, sin, and more (insert “Coronavirus” here) can drain us.  How do we recharge?  Proverbs gives us some instructions as to how we can recharge. 

The first instruction begins with what not to do.  Don’t think that you can independently handle what’s before you.  To believe that you can figure everything out yourself and that you can fix whatever might be wrong with the world will drain rather than recharge your batteries.

The Reformation Study Bible puts it like this: “The phrase (be not wise in your own eyes) summarizes the idea that the human mind with its intellect and reason is independently capable of reaching a true understanding of reality, without any dependence upon God’s revelation.”  To ignore the Word of God is, in essence, to be wise in your own eyes.  Don’t.

The next instruction calls on us to fear the Lord.  The Word of God is not calling us to run from God in holy terror.  No, we are being called to know who our God is.  He is greater than we know.  We are called in Christ to know Him and to fall in awe of Him.  He not only knows what He is doing in His world, He knows what we should be doing in His world.  The Word is the revelation of God.  He will encourage us to fear Him.  See that He is wise with your own eyes.  Paul put it like this: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?  Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen, Romans 11:33-36.  Now that will recharge your batteries!

Finally, in the fear of the Lord Proverbs instructs us to turn from evil.  Welcome the conviction of the Holy Spirit into your life.  Respond with His gifts of confession and repentance.  Remove that drain on your battery and allow Him to recharge you.

Did I recharge the battery in the bird feeder?  You bet.  I plugged it into the power source, and it is back in business!

In His love,
Pastor Karl