Day 172, Year 1

Receiving Instruction at the Gates of God’s Wisdom

“Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.” (Proverbs 8:34 NASB)

“Me” in the above verse refers to the Wisdom in the Old Testament. “Wisdom” is personified as a person who lives in a fortified house, speaking to those outside the door about wisdom. This verse suggests that those who are eager to seek and listen to wisdom are blessed. “Blessed” in Hebrew, ‘esher, also means “happy, or fortunate.” When we find wisdom and follow her, we are blessed in various ways.

As mentioned previously, some people hear the voice of Jesus, but they can only open their doors of hearts slightly and are unable to open them fully. Thus, they can listen to His voice from outside their hearts. Perhaps due to certain psychological or spiritual barriers, their hearts’ doors are obstructed and can only open a small door gap. Such people need to follow Jesus’ guidance step by step and remove the obstacles blocking the doors. For instance, some people have experienced tragedies, leaving their hearts in darkness and devoid of motivation to open their doors wide for Jesus. They might think that their inner selves are too gloomy and unworthy for Him to enter. To welcome Jesus in, what they need to do is not just listen to His knocking at their doors, but ask Him to show them how to expel their inner darkness with His light, how to cleanse their hearts, accept His goodwill and appreciation, and transform their memories of tragedies into prayers to Jesus, etc. Those who are willing to listen to Him, even if only at the doorway, are blessed.

Besides, some people’s hearts are filled with various dreams, the pursuit of ideals, different people, objects, or memories, etc., and these things can prevent the doors from being opened for Jesus. That means they not only have their daily lives tightly scheduled but also their internal space crowded with different people and affairs. They need to listen to Jesus’ instructions at the “doorway” to address their own issues, such as removing trivial things, rearranging daily routines, and adjusting value systems and life philosophies, so that He can enter into them. In fact, as long as we hear Jesus knocking on our door, we can start a dialogue with Him, listen to His instructions, and do our own tasks well, so that we can eventually welcome Him into our lives. Often, Jesus will guide us step by step in this process. When we rely on Him to address our problems, we need not be anxious or lethargic. Anyway, those who listen and follow the wisdom of Jesus are the most blessed.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you long to receive the Lord Jesus’ wisdom, so that you can become a happy and divinely blessed person? Why?

2) Have you begun to dialogue with Jesus, understanding His will, and properly addressing the problems or issues in your life?