Devotional Index

September Devotional

Proverbs 24:30-34

I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Recently I was listening to a sermon referencing this scripture. As the pastor who was speaking read through the verses, I couldn't help but think about the current state of our country and how history and man's sin nature have brought about the need for organizations such as ours and the crisis pregnancy centers through which we serve. It didn't happen overnight. Just as with the vineyard, time is what has revealed the lack of diligence and neglect on the part of man who was appointed to dress it and keep it.

The man in ownership of the vineyard is known to be slothful and void of understanding. Proverbs 9:10 says "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. " When God first created man and woman in the garden He gave them all they needed and had a very close, personal relationship with them, conversing and walking with them in the garden. They had an opportunity to know and understand God in a very unique and powerful way, but in their pride and foolishness they disobeyed God and sought knowledge on their own terms. (Proverbs 16:25 — There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. ) God didn't turn away from man; man turned away from God. The thing is to note is that it started with one small step, one bad decision, one moment lacking diligence and our separation from our Lord has been growing ever since. Just like the nettles and thorns in the vineyard, our separation has grown over time, bit by bit, "choice" by "choice." The man who could have cultivated a beautiful, fruitful, and productive vineyard let it deteriorate into something ugly and burdensome, and not through the blatant decision to do so, but through "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep." One small excuse followed by another with consequences only time would fully reveal. Isn't this exactly what we hear from the clients who visit our centers every day? None of them ever planned, or determined to be in their situation. Somehow it just happened. "It was just one time..., one night..., I didn't know..., I didn't expect..., I didn't think I would ever..." The list goes on and it is heartbreaking. How did we, and they, get so far down this path? The answer is one step at a time.

Our nation began as one with a fear and respect of God and His holy wisdom, but history shows the progressive chipping away of our relationship with Him and subsequently our lack of wisdom and knowledge. We used to value our children. As a society we saw them as a blessing from God, an asset to family and community. Now in our foolishness we see them as a burden financially and to our self absorbed lifestyles, a drain to our community resources and a "situation" to be dealt with. Psalm 127:3 says "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." This is what children were meant to be for us. Oh, how blind and void of understanding we have become!

So now what? Proverbs 3:7 says "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil." Our clients are being bombarded by Satan and the things of this world. They're being told to make the "smart decision," abort and carry on with their lives, it will be easier. They're told by the "experts" to use a condom and you'll be fine, or you can't help others if you don't put yourself first. They're blinded, confused and often times fearful. They need to "depart from evil. . ." and turn to God, but they have a hard time understanding what that really means. We know that God will open their eyes and change them if they'll just submit to Him (Proverbs 2:10-12a — "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man...") They don't understand that God is so much more than some nebulous being out of their reach and that He really desires a personal relationship with them. It's frightening to them to consider giving up control of their lives to a God they cannot see with their eyes, especially when everything around them tells them to be self-reliant and that they can't depend on anyone but themselves. They need the reassurance of Isaiah 41:10: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." They need Christ. They need to give their lives to Him completely if they are ever to have victory over the sin overgrowing their lives.

The thorns and the nettles seem overwhelming and we know that their roots grow deep. Time has seemingly given them strength but "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord." (Proverbs 21:30) Christ has already won the victory and our faithful God has promised "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14)

It's easy to look back over history and see our progressive decline away from God and His ways. We can listen to our clients and see how each unwise decision brought them farther into sin. We think, if only our legislators hadn't passed that law, or if only the Supreme Court hadn't made that decision, if only that young woman would have said no.. . and it's true. Each time the wall crumbles just a little bit more. But what if His people would humble themselves and pray and seek His face diligently now...today...full heartedly and with true diligence? What if we didn't decide to take a little folding of the hands to sleep, but decided to wrestle with God for His blessing instead? What if we took an honest look at ourselves and the vineyard our Lord has blessed us with? Would we see a fruitful harves that He would be pleased with, or might we find a few too many thorns sprouting amongst our own vines?

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord. . ." (Col 3:23)

— Laurie Barry
Member of Madison Baptist Church, Madison, WI
Volunteer, Access Women's Center, Madison, WI