Day 84, Year 1

Seeking to Understand Important Details

“O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart.” (Proverbs 8:5 NKJV)

Jesus said, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15 KJV)

We always need to change our inner religious habits to become wise and discerning. Today’s discussion focuses on one of the keys to becoming wise and discerning—paying attention to details and seeking understanding. “Prudence” in the first verse of today, ‘ormah in Hebrew, here refers to “subtlety, shrewdness, or craftiness,” and it also means being cautious and paying attention to details. First, believers have to pay attention to influential attributes so as to learn wisdom. Details could be crucial or unimportant, but we need to attend to every detail that matters in pursuing wisdom. For instance, the slightly different accounts of the same event in the Gospels in the New Testament might be crucial details worthy of our careful consideration.

Finding the subtle differences is just a tiny step toward wisdom and discernment. More importantly, we need to let our hearts seek to understand the substantial meaning of God’s words. In faith, many things are difficult to understand. Seeking wisdom and discernment requires us to not only understand the faith but also the influential details of ourselves and the surrounding environment. This could be a long process for us to discern if we live in a place with overwhelming information to choose to understand. So, we need to seek only those that are valuable and useful. To develop the habit of understanding influential details, we could seek help from some spiritual believers.

The second verse of today indicates one reason why people would find it difficult to understand the truth—their “heart is waxed gross.” It is because they consumed too much meat and fat. These people might have been pursuing material enjoyment excessively, hence unable to hear God’s truth. Similarly, when people only listen to what they love to hear and see what they want to perceive, they become indifferent to His truth. Hence, we need to carefully examine our habits to become discerning and wise, including eating and receiving information, as well as how they might hinder or help us on the path of becoming wise. As the two verses of today indicate, the key is to understand the crucial details in God’s words and remove anything that blinds our minds.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you think you habitually pay attention to influential details? If not, how would you turn it into a habit?

2) Is seeking to understand various useful or valuable truths habitual to you? If not, how would you make it a habit starting from today?