My son, let them not depart from your eyes—
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.
Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
So they will be life to your soul
And grace to your neck.
Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.
Proverbs 3:21-26
The wisdom of God is utterly personal. We see wisdom personified in Proverbs as a wise woman, and so the effects of loving, possessing, and delighting in wisdom are holistic, impacting a person from head to toe: “wisdom and discretion…will be llife to your soul and grace to your neck…you will walk in safety…you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.” When are we at our most vulnerable? In our sleep, and to lie down and sleep sweetly is among the greatest of bodily blessings. Without sound sleep it’s hard to feel good at all. Sleep is a picture of death in Scripture. God put Adam into a deep sleep, took out a rib, and fashioned Eve out of it, the first death and resurrection scene in the Bible. We rest in faith and then rise with hope in the newness of life. Wisdom and discretion teach us to rest in the sovereignty of God, knowing not a hair falls from our heads apart from the knowledge and good plan of God. Rather than lie down in anxious worry about things you can’t change, cast your cares on the Lord and fall into sweet sleep, guarded by His wisdom.