There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. I challenge you to read a chapter a day each month for the next year. If you do, you will have read the book of Proverbs 12 times, and your life will never be the same.

The book of Proverbs is a powerful book. The reason is that the book provides the one thing we all need in large doses: WISDOM. Wisdom's roots run deep into Old Testament soil. Interestingly, the word did not at first signify "wisdom," but rather, "skill." We tend to equate "wisdom" with "intelligence." But one can have great intelligence without great wisdom, and vice-versa. If the root idea of wisdom is skill, then we can say that Proverbs will teach us the skill of living. Just as there is skill in sewing, designing, speaking, navigating, and carving, so there is skill needed for living life effectively and successfully. And that is the kind of wisdom the book of Proverbs offers its readers.

Think of all the encounters you have in a week, and how many of them require skillful navigation. Not a day goes by in which we don't feel hesitant, even confused about how to act. Pure and simple, we need wisdom, the skill of living life. And there are numerous verses in Proverbs which address every category of crisis that we will ever face. Fortunately, wisdom from God is just a prayer away. The book in the New Testament most like Proverbs is the book of James. The hands-on nature of James mirrors its Old Testament cousin. And, James is the one who tells us, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

The author of Proverbs (at least most of them), King Solomon, gained the wisdom to write the proverbs the same way James advises us to get it: by asking God. When Solomon succeeded his father, David, as king over Israel, God said to Solomon: "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3). Understandably, the young Solomon was quite nervous at the prospect of being king. So, instead of asking for riches, or military might, or long life, he asked God for wisdom, and God was true to His word. "I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you, nor shall any like you arise after you" (1 Kings 3:13).

For specific wisdom in unique situations, we may not have the wisdom required because we have not asked for it (cf. James 4:2). But in many more of life's situations, we may lack wisdom because we haven't poured over the proverbs of Solomon. So, we should take up the challenge: Read a chapter in the book of Proverbs each day for a month. Repeat that process every month for an entire year. You, too, may be amazed at how something so simple can energize your spiritual life and give you the needed skill for living. Eric