My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:1-5)
It’s easy to forget something when you don’t internalize it. Have you ever been to church, heard a sermon, and couldn’t remember anything from it later in the day? That’s because it is easy for us to forget something we haven’t meditated and internalized.
That’s the call of wisdom in Proverbs 3—not just to hear or read wisdom but to internalize and meditate on it. God promised that when we do this, the result will be length of days and peace.
The word peace in the original Hebrew is shalom. However, it doesn’t mean peace like the world thinks. When most people hear the word peace, they think of no problems, issues, or trouble. However, the Hebrew word means much more than that. It means nothing is missing, and nothing is broken. When we internalize and prioritize the Word, God will ensure that anything we lack when accomplishing His plans will be supplied and provided: nothing missing.
But God also promised that anything that has been hurt, harmed, or destroyed in our life that makes us feel incapable of accomplishing His will is restored: nothing broken.
This is a picture of the abundant life that God desires for His children to experience. It shows us that aging doesn’t need to be associated with decline or negativity for the believer. Instead, God has a vision for aging filled with vitality and purpose. When we embrace, meditate, and internalize God’s Word, we can look forward to longer and more prosperous life experiences and joy.
Practical Application
At the end of each day, take a moment to think about how you experienced peace today. How did God provide? How did He bring healing? Think about how receiving God’s Word brought you shalom in every area this week.