Bible with Brandi Week 32 – Proverbs 18
This week a friend texted me some encouraging words and shared a playlist of the Proverbs sung aloud. The first song was “Strong Tower,” and immediately it brought me to the pages of Proverbs 18. Verse 10 has been a life verse for me since my mid-twenties. The Lord has been my strong tower through so many seasons of my life. He has been the place I run to when I am afraid, overwhelmed, and weary. And even now, in the midst of uncertainty, He continues to be my refuge. Of course, once my Bible was open, I read the whole chapter. Isn’t that what happens? One verse invites you in, and suddenly you find yourself sitting with the whole passage, allowing the words to speak. That is the glory of God’s living Word! It really is alive and active!
There is so much packed into Proverbs 18. Much of the chapter speaks about our words—the power they hold for good or destruction. Verse 21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We actually eat the fruit of our words. That is a sobering thought. Our words can bring life, encouragement, wisdom, and healing. Or they can wound, divide, discourage, and destroy. And sometimes I think we forget that our words don’t simply disappear after we speak them. They produce something. There is fruit.
Proverbs 18 also speaks about friendship. There is the warning that a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire, but there is also the beautiful reminder that “a friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17). God created us for relationship. We need people. In good times and bad, we are meant to live in community. I am especially thankful for the friends who have done that for me this season. Sometimes God uses a simple text message, a song, or a timely word from a friend to remind me that we are not walking alone. And then there is the contrast Proverbs 18 gives us between wealth and the Lord.
Verse 11 says, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his own imagination.” We can so easily place our security in what we have—the money in the bank, the house, the plan, the things we think we can control. Wealth can make us feel secure. But verse 10 points us to a different kind of security: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
And maybe that is why this verse has stayed with me for so many years. Because circumstances change. Homes burn. Bank accounts empty. Life looks different than imagined. But God remains. He is my strong tower. When I don’t know what is coming, and I lack all the answers, I can run to Him. When I am weary and afraid, I can run to Him. And when everything feels uncertain, I can remember that my safety has never ultimately been found in my circumstances.
It has always been found in His name.
Reflection Questions:
Where do I tend to run first when I feel afraid, overwhelmed, or uncertain, and what would it look like to run to the Lord instead?
What kind of fruit are my words producing in the lives of the people around me? Are they bringing life, encouragement, and healing, or do I need to surrender the way I speak to God?
What have I been tempted to place my security in besides God, such as finances, plans, possessions, relationships, or my own sense of control?
Who has God used to encourage and strengthen me in this season? How can I intentionally be that kind of friend to someone else?
What does it mean for me personally that “the name of the LORD is a strong tower”? What am I carrying today that I need to bring to Him?
