Read: Proverbs 13
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life. (v. 14)
"My heart is breaking for these guys," said Dave, a retired pastor who had brought some kids to camp from a small town in Wisconsin. "When I asked them to describe their families, the wildest guy in the group said he didn't know his father because his father had been in prison since he was six months old. This kid is just wild—he seems so far from God. Would you pray for him?"
Of course we prayed. Not only did we pray for Dave and his guys; we also prayed for every kid we met at camp. Each kid is God's beloved creation, and we lifted up every one of them in prayer.
Reading Proverbs daily in the context of a youth camp is refreshing. The proverbs offer structure, wisdom, and direction. So many young people are brought up in a directionless, "anything goes" sort of haze, where there are no rules, and no one who cares enough to make them.
Some kids, like the ones with Dave, have been wounded by families who have abandoned them. Other kids, it seems, have been wounded by a culture that has abandoned them. The proverbs offer God's wisdom, a fountain of life. Here is direction for the directionless, if only we'll help them see.
Prayer: God, may we drink deeply from the fountain of life.
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