“Those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.”

— Proverbs 8:35

Oksana, a young tennis player, dreamed of winning a particular competition. She trained diligently for many months, and her hard work finally paid off. She became a champion.

But her joy was short-lived. “I’m always hard on myself. I don’t know how to be happy with who I am,” Oksana shared with our ministry in an email after her victory.

Do you have a nagging feeling that keeps telling you that you don’t measure up? Too many people go around thinking nega­tively about themselves. They keep noticing shortcomings and weaknesses in their personality. They have a constant battle going on inside them.

In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is sometimes personified as a guiding attribute of God. Our Scripture for today ­encourages us to seek God’s wisdom, because those who find wisdom will receive life and favor from the Lord.

If we don’t have the assurance of salvation in Christ, we need to seek his face, calling on the Lord to lift us out of our sin and misery so that we can have life. The Holy Spirit uses our restless hearts to direct us to God. By faith and in repentance we can lean on Christ to discover his peace.

And throughout our lives as believers, we need to be reminded that we are not finished yet. God is still working on us. As we lean on Jesus for guidance each day, he won’t disappoint us.

Heavenly Father, grant us your wisdom so that we may know your peace and enjoy life to the full. In Jesus’ name, Amen.