Proverbs 20:5 - Purpose

September 23, 2018

Proverbs 20:5

NIV - The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

MSG - Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart, a wise person draws from the well within.

There is a lot of talk right now about finding your purpose and living on purpose and having a purpose driven life.  I struggle to see a specific purpose for me. I know I have one or I would not be here.  I hope I did not miss it.  Do I just  wonder when it will come, and wander until it does?

I picked this verse because I like that it shows that purpose is within us already.  It is inborn.  We have to be wise enough to draw it out.

My first reading through I missed something very important in the NIV version.  It does not say, "The purpose of", it says, "The purposes of".  More than one.  Many, perhaps.  If it is deep water it can hide a lot, and it just came to me that maybe what "fishers of men" partly refers to is helping others draw from that deep God-given well.  I did notice that the MSG version is 'person' not 'man' but I am old so to me "man" used like this is mankind/humans, not gender.  Finding and living our purpose is also knowing what is right in our heart.  Sometimes I think we do not have the faith to believe it is right as it might be a really big idea or purpose.  So big that it would disrupt what is expected of us by those who share our life, and so big that takes us away from our comfort zone, but right none the less.

On my second reading and as I write this, I think I want to be open to the possibility of a big purpose, and as I watch and fish for that, go ahead and work on the little day to day, reason to go to work, taking care of my family purposes that occupy my time.  But I do not want to be wasting my time. Or so busy that my big purpose looks more like a burden than a gift.

How do we learn to be wise and have understanding to dive into the deep waters after that big purpose?  Faith that you won't drown is my first thought.  Start with your little toe dip.  But is that too cautious?  Do we dive right in?  Or jump into the deep end, feet first?  So many sayings that we have in our world all play to this picture. And maybe just add to the confusion of not only what to do next but how to do it.  Going back to the verse, I see that it says 'draw' not dive.  When I think of drawing water, I think of putting in a bucket and bringing up a bunch at a time.  Which means I get to stay mostly dry, which I like.

I know that God will never give me a purpose or direction that would hurt my family.  I have faith and trust in that. He has already given me the promises that the path and the power and the peace and the hope are already mine.  Now He tells me that my purpose is already within me, my purposes. It is good to know someone has a Plan!

Love to you all!