PROVERBS 20, PROVERBIAL APRIL

“A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion; those who anger him forfeit their lives.

A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?”

Proverbs 20:2, 24 NIV

I have a friend who is actually a prince in a country in Asia. We played soccer together in college fifty years ago.

I can still remember when I thought I had no king. I think I believed in him, though, honestly, I never considered that he had any effect on my life.

It wasn’t like I was shaking my fist at him, saying, “Leave me alone! I’ll do things my own way!”

I just muddled through my life, doing things my open way.

To my knowledge, I had never known him, never seen him, never heard from him, never walked with him.

Never felt his wrath.

If you had asked me if I believed in him, I would have said, “Of course!”

If your had asked me why, I wouldn’t have had an answer.

It was almost like I was dead to him.

I didn’t know him.

One day, he came to me when I felt like I had lost my grip on living my life as I saw fit.

He answered the one question that I needed an answer to, expressed his deep love for me and his desire to make my life full.

That day, I found the king, and became his subject.

I came to realize that all the paths I had “chosen” for myself had been laid out for me.

Because the king cares about his subjects, and has a plan for them.

There are those, though, who do shake their fists at him, refuse to let him lead them, and actually try to lead his subjects in rebellion against him.

When they ultimately refuse the love he offers, and continue the revolt against him…

Well, one day, they will taste his wrath…they will lose the chance to receive the Life that he offered to them.

A chance to be a son or daughter of the king.

As he weeps over their refusal to accept his love.