this proverb resonates with my soul unlike any other. i’ve recently attained an appreciation for the wisdom that is found in the proverbs. but that isn’t why i’m writing. i’m writing because as much as i understand proverbs 13:12, i don’t understand it at all.
when my hopes are deferred, i feel the sickness of heart, i take in the agony of it all. deferred hopes are no stranger to me. and fulfilled longings…well, i don’t remember many of those. this entire lifetime on earth seems to filled with deferred hopes and terrible, never-ending longings.
and not all longings must be fulfilled as a tree of life, because i have seen plenty of unhealthy longings in my day. yet some are not so easily discernible. could this be speaking of a Greater hope? the longing that i believe lies deep within us that God fills? i would say yes. but i’m guessing it also refers to levels that aren’t quite as deep, or pictures that aren’t quite as big.
and so i’m stuck. this verse totters on the edge of my heart, beckoning it to take comfort because deferred hopes are difficult, but it seems to conflict with what i believe about God being the only thing i am allowed to healthily long for and hope in. perhaps what i believe is not quite right.
maybe it refers to the longings that God gives us personally. each and every one of us. maybe this verse calls those longings good, pure, and the act of their fulfillment will bring life into our very bones.
and later in verse 19 it says that “a longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul.” and these are considered part of the wisdom literature. it makes me feel that i should pursue my longings.
these are only mere postulations.
and i want to understand. i don’t want to twist this into my faulty view of life, but i really want to know what it means.
if you have any ideas, please leave a comment. it makes me happy when people comment.
This is from the Matthew Henry Commentary:
Proverbs 13:12
The delay of what is anxiously hoped for, is very painful to the mind; obtaining it is very pleasant. But spiritual blessings are chiefly intended.
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Part of me takes this to mean that we will not always get what we long for because the purpose is to grow with God. I know that there are cases of this in my life.
There are things that we should long for like heaven, but we will never receive that on earth, so how does that fit in to this verse? These are the questions that theologians have wrestled with for generations.
Because we are sinful beings we are going to have longings that are unhealthy and not good for us. But that is where having a good group of people to be accountable too and spending time in the word can keep you on track.
I don’t think you ever stop longing for things, but the real problem that I have seen in other Christians is when they reach the point that those longings paralyze everything else in their life. Then they aren’t pursuing anything and they definately aren’t serving God in any way, shape, or form.
I think that God is moving you through all this stuff and I know it’s a really stressful time for you. But I also know that God is big enough to bring you through all of it.
Love you, Louanne
“all my devotion” by Kristen Mueller
it just came up when i was reading your post and its exactly the response that i would write to this post.
when i first heard this song over spring break, i can honestly say it hurt to listen to it and i couldn’t sing it from my heart but i knew i needed to listen. as i’ve listened to this cd over and over since then it has become ointment to my heart and soul.
i love you.
As I was reading this, I thought of Job and how he said “Though he slay me, I will trust in Him”.
There is something truly amazing that the one who loves us most and do anything. But yet this truth quickly becomes difficult when we have longings that have yet to be fulfilled. But in the depths of our hearts we still know, like Job, that there is no where to look. No where else to turn.
That’s why we long for heaven. Heaven represents the end of faith. The end of believing without seeing. The end of believing God wants the best for me even when I can’t see it. The end of God letting me make mistakes.
I think this was a beautiful post. It is deeply right to be longing, and deeply right to be fighting for faith. Jars of Clay writes a song where they sing “I will sing of your mercy that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy”. The title? “The valley song”, meaning I believe they wrote this song in the valley, before they tasted and saw the Lord’s mercy.