“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.”
Proverbs 3:5-8
It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s time for a cold drink. Hydration is necessary for so many good reasons, and if you’ve not had a glass of water, go get one right now and help restore your body.
[Getting a glass myself. Thank you.]
Welcome back. I’m glad you took the time to restore your body. Keep doing it, as the experts recommend we should be drinking eight glasses of water a day. I am a fan of water and especially rely on it to rehydrate after a run, working in the yard, or anything involving me being outside in the heat of the day. Our own John Wesley agrees with the water advice, captured in this short list from Susan Hogan’s article, “Wesley’s diet, exercise tips promote health“:
- Drink lots of water; it’s the healthiest of all drinks.
- Avoid coffee and tea; they elevate anxiety.
- Exercise, preferably walking, is necessary for good health.
- Cold baths promote circulation.
- Exercise on an empty stomach.
- Go to bed at 9 pm and rise at 4 am or 5 am.
Perhaps you can check off some of these boxes. You might even pull up a chair and roll up your sleeves to share dialogue about the coffee and tea comment. Yikes. I know a good many folks who would argue this one with Pastor John. The others seem pretty reasonable and might be something to consider for a period of time. Wesley also believed strongly in fasting and recommended it as a means of grace in our own spiritual disciplines.
As I consider the wisdom of Proverbs, a book that focuses on one’s character, the passage above can also serve as a checklist to guide me with my own behaviors while striving to live a life of holiness. Too often I rely on my own insight, my own interpretation, and my own conclusions. Where am I being led by the Holy Spirit in my behaviors, in my words and actions, in my decisions and discernment? Too often, I miss acknowledging the Lord, lifting a word of thanksgiving, or praising God from whom all blessings flow. Too often I think I know-it-all about a particular situation or story, but I absolutely do not and cannot. I am called to Fear the Lord, which Harold C. Washington describes as “a moral category, motivating righteousness and avoidance of evil” (The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible D-H volume 2, 441). Eugene Peterson’s translation of verse 7 calls us to “Run to God! Run from evil!” It’s all quite a checklist, Amen? Yet they serve as a path of holy living, with guardrails of trust, praising, and turning to God and turning away from evil.
When we go deeper into our last verse 8, refreshment jumps off the page for me in these hot summer days. The original Hebrew word for refreshment is something served to a person to drink. What a simple translation, leading us back to the simple guidance of drinking a glass of water. Refreshment comes in the drinking of that glass of water, restoring our bodies and giving us strength. Maybe that is the simple and profound message of our lesson from Proverbs for us during these hot summer days. Trust in the Lord and experience healing and refreshment for our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Go get yourself another glass of water. Now you’ve only got six more to go!
Blessings,
David
photo credit – David Blackman