For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. Psalm 33:4.

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV.

Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8.

Our chapter, Proverbs 14, has life-giving instruction when our hearts and minds are open to change for good. The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception…Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright…Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy…There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death…Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief…The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure…Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness…The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death…A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones…Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God…v. 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 22, 27, 30, 31. I have always had a problem with any verse that begins The fear of the Lord…and I know that what that means is to have reverence for the Lord but to me, what opens my heart more fully to Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit…is…The love for the Lord – So in verse 27, The love for the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Or in verse 16, The wise have love for the Lord and shun evil. Or in verse 2, Whoever has love for the Lord walks uprightly. The fear of the Lord is what I felt when I was trying so hard to obey rules that I could never live up to. I was always left feeling frustrated and less than perfect and angry with myself and if I’m honest, angry with God. How can He expect me to be perfect when He knows what I am?

Love for God changes our perspective. We are so busy trying to follow rules and impose our interpretation of those rules on others and that makes us hard and breakable. When we open our hearts to our God, everything changes. God is love and He loves us. Loving Him and allowing His love into our hearts and minds begins a work in us that is His work given in His wisdom and love. We can begin to listen to Him and He will help us understand. And we begin to yearn for more of our God working in our lives because He is faithful and trustworthy and He will lead us forward with Him always with us. No more will we want to “lord” it over others because we know how much others need His love to guide them. And He will. Love for God brings peace and hope and joy with Him and in Him. Yearn for Him! What a difference He brings! We can breathe and hope and trust Him because He loves us well.