Gods Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Timothy J. Keller

Gods Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs Reviews

• 
  Brian Eshleman

  I love the dogged humility of his slow, verse-by-verse pursuit of the Psalms in Songs of Jesus that I'm tempted to ding him because this doesn't do exactly the same thing with Proverbs. Never mind. There's still enough five-star material in here to pervade the text. Reasonably, he is thematic in his approaches to the book's content. This helps with application, even if it does run averse to my persnickety preferences.
  
  He does seem to run short of material at the end of the year. I'll never object to anybody running to the straight Gospel from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but he seems to have to reach to tie it back to Proverbs without explicitly repeating material he has already covered.
  
  SECOND READING: Agree on all counts, yet I continued to glean material from it this time through.
• 
  Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer

  Extremely good daily devotional. Unlike Keller's Psalm book devotional (which proceeds in biblical order) this book goes through more by theme - typically picking a couple of verses (not necessarily concurrent ones) and including a commentary and prayer to accompany every day's reading. The author really brings Proverbs to life in this way - showing its application for today's world.
• 
  Amy

  At one of the places I interned, my boss would begin the day by reading segments from the introduction of this devotional. I was sufficiently intrigued to buy my own copy and incorporate it into my daily devotion.
  I quickly realized there was a reason my boss transitioned to something else after finishing the introduction. The introduction was really the best part of the book.
  Like many daily readings, some worked better than others. Maybe once a month I felt a day really stuck out to me and forced me to examine an element of the Proverbs or wisdom literature differently. But too often I did the daily reading, read the occasionally simplistic analysis, and moved on.
  The problem probably lies with me. I don't really care for brief devotions that include pre-written prayers. I also didn't love the tone (which perhaps translates to an expected audience of wealthy or middle class Americans.)
  Or maybe I just hoped for some more intense analysis of a book of the Bible I've read multiple times.
  If you don't know much about the Proverbs or wisdom literature in general, this is probably a good introduction with easy to digest takeaways and follow up prayers. If you consider yourself fairly familiar with the words of Proverbs, though, this won't be anything to new.
• 
  Cindy Rollins

  I did not enjoy this or get as much out of it as I did Tim Keller’s devotional on the Psalms. It did have some good thoughts and take-aways. Not sure if I didn’t enjoy it as much because I prefer Psalms over Proverbs generally.
• 
  Peter Yock

  This was a great companion to 2020 - a great way to start every day. It'd usually take me around 5-10mins but if I had longer I'd happily spend more time reflecting and responding.
  
  At first I didn't find it as good as Keller's similar yearly devotional on the Psalms. But after a month or two, I started to realise just how brilliant it is. Its wisdom is cumulative, so reading just a day or two isn't really enough to get the vibe.
  
  I was especially challenged by the near-final section on being generous to the poor in our realm, something I need to think through (and do!) more.
  
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Meggie

  After Keller’s Psalms daily devotion book, I had high hopes for the book on Proverbs. We were not disappointed. Rather than going through the book chronologically, Keller divided the year by topics, including marriage, parenting, leadership, etc. Each entry was insightful and thought provoking—as well as digestible for a daily devotion. As usual, the prayers were on point and always pointing to Jesus. My favorite part of the entry was a very thoughtful question for consideration that always sparked good conversation with my husband. Read this.
• 
  Jessica Vique

  Read through this last year as part of my daily devotional. Packed with so much wisdom...loved digging into Proverbs.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I enjoyed and benefited from this book this year. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a daily opportunity to think more deeply.
  
  If you do read it, look for someone else to read it alongside you. My sister read it this year too, and talking about it with her was a big factor in what made it so beneficial.
  
  I did feel like this book may have been better shorter. I got the most from it when I took the time to journal and answer the questions, and that was hard to keep up over the whole year.
• 
  Thomas Black

  Another great daily devotional from T Keller… preferred Psalms but that was mostly because I wasn’t awake enough to process the practical or far-reaching topics that Proverbs covers.
  
  “Interesting/Pithy/Applicable quote TBA”
• 
  Marcia

  An exceptional devotional. It’s an alternative to reading a chapter of Proverbs a day. In this book the first weeks examine the subject of wisdom. Then the proverbs are grouped into topics such as friendship, words, conflicts, and parenting. I highly recommend Keller’s book.
• 
  Jimmy

  Want to find a year-long devotional on the book of Proverbs? Preacher and author Timothy Keller has written this 365 days devotionals on the book of Proverbs. This review is my overall thoughts on this devotional.
  I’m rather cautious in using devotionals since most of my devotional reading comes from the Bible with a good Bible commentary but I appreciated that this devotional was aware we must get the meaning of the Biblical text rather than read our own interpretation incorrectly into a passage of Scripture. Keller’s introduction to the book of Proverbs include discussions of how to interpret the book of Proverbs and also the nature of the book of Proverbs. I appreciate that lest readers think the Bible is just some kind of book where we can chop up one or two verses to say whatever we want to say.
  The first portion of the book tries to go by the order of the book of Proverbs of the first few chapters in Proverbs but towards the end the devotional is organized by topics or related subject. I think readers must realize this is because Proverbs is not an easy book to teach on verse by verse. I appreciate Keller ending each days’ devotional with applications and even some useful application questions.
  There’s a lot of wisdom covered within the pages of this work. I appreciate the author’s call to readers to confess to God honestly. Topics of this book include personal life, family life and work life. The book addresses adultery and lusts, wealth, family and conflicts; also I found the devotionals related to communications was also very good.
  Yet the book also had some drawbacks. There’s times I felt Timothy Keller talked about things that he didn’t have as strong of a grasp understanding. The most blatant example was one of his illustrations in which he said horses at one time almost made foot soldiers obsolete. As someone who loves to study history and military matters I don’t think Keller is correct. For starters Keller’s comment here can’t be correct that horses almost made foot soldiers obsolete because war often involves countries bringing to bear all their resources, time and energy to fielding a larger army than one’s opponent is an important factor of combat. Yet there’s limitation of how many horses are available in contrast to available military age fighting men in one’s population. Horses like any advancement in means of warfare also have its strength and weaknesses such as the difficulty of horses to operate in certain terrain; all that is to say that horses never threatened having foot infantry as obsolete. Also I thought Keller throughout the book often talk about finance and business in ways that haven’t been informed by an understanding of economics. For example there’s the generalization that it is wrong to pay employees the least amount possible when there’s also a lot more factors involved economically. There was also the sound bite from Keller that the Bible does not espousing capitalism nor socialism. But I think a better view is that Scripture espouses a form of capitalism if capitalism is defined by the dictionary as “an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.” I think it is also important to make a distinction between cronyism and capitalism.
  Overall this devotional was helpful yet readers must beware that Keller’s discussion of money sometimes sounds like the mantra of social justice warriors. Practicing discernment is important.
  
• 
  Robert Rogers

  I loved this devotional! I have read through Keller's devotional through Psalms, and I find this one to be an excellent companion to it.
  Keller wisely (pun intended) groups the devotionals into topics, rather than trying to go through Proverbs chapter by chapter. By including verses from different parts of the book in a day's devotional, he gives a greater balance and thoroughness to each, as he often includes wisdom sayings that give different perspectives on the same topic, or give further elaboration and illustration on the same topic.
  Keller also includes some selections from other wisdom books, especially Ecclesiastes and Job, and ends during the Christmas season with insights from the New Testament and how Jesus is our ultimate source of wisdom.
  I highly recommend this daily devotional! It will challenge you to think deeply and live wisely.
• 
  Susan

  My husband and I read this daily devotional together for 2018. Timothy Keller used the book of Proverbs as a series of little reflections and lessons about God, humans and how we are to respond to God, as well as, how we are to interact with other humans.
  
  The daily reflections prompted good conversations between my husband and me.
  
  We did not always agree with Keller’s thoughts, but overall this was a worthwhile read.
• 
  Kris Lundgaard

  Enriching, strengthening, deepening.
• 
  Paige Redwine

  This is excellent writing that expounds on Proverbs and other Biblical passages about wisdom. I was challenged and greatly encouraged.
• 
  Rob Messenger

  A helpful way to approach Proverbs, full of real-world pastoral applications. Almost as good as the Kellers' 'My Rock, My Refuge year of devotions from the Psalms 😊...
• 
  Lynnette

  This a a pretty great little devotional book. I especially enjoyed the first half of the book.
• 
  Spencer R

  The full review was published on Spoiled Milks (February 1, 2018)
  
  Many Christians use New Years resolutions to revamp their Bible reading. Tim and Kathy Keller have provided a daily devotional in the book of Proverbs (with some readings in other biblical texts). Proverbs requires a year (and more!) of daily consideration. It’s full of so much thought, and it is a book that reminds us that “you’ve never really thought enough about anything” (ix). Having just come out with a year devotional on Psalms, Keller says, “Psalms is about how to throw ourselves fully upon God in faith. Proverbs is about how, having trusted God, we should then live that faith out” (ix).
  
  Proverbs are not truths that are true at all times. It is a “poetic art form that instills wisdom in you as you wrestle with it” (ix). Two ideas, sentences, or phrases are brought together to hit at a truth from different angles. They require you to wrestle with their meaning to know how to live. The reader is encouraged to read the book with someone else or with others. Most of the devotions end with a question to consider and a concluding prayer. Keller provides two other questions in the Introduction for the reader to consider each day:
  
  1. Where in your life or the life of someone else have you seen this observation illustrated?
  2. How can you put this observation into practice—in thought, attitude, word, or deed?
  
  Instead of going straight through Proverbs, Keller organizes Proverbs into seven different sections.
  1. Knowing Wisdom
  2. Knowing God
  3. Knowing the Heart
  4. Knowing Others
  5. Knowing the Times and Seasons
  6. Knowing the Spheres (e.g., marriage, sex, parenting, money and work, power, justice)
  7. Knowing Jesus, the True Wisdom of God
  
  Keller doesn’t stop with Proverbs, but looks to Jesus. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and Jesus is the fulfillment of all wisdom. He is the “greater Solomon” (Lk 11.31).
  
  Keller is insightful and convicting. In section six, when it comes to justice, Keller pinpoints talking about righteousness and justice when it comes to the poor, asking questions such as:
  ▪ “How are you building your character and relationship to God now, so that you will be able to do the sacrificial thing when the time comes?” (332)
  
  Recommended?
  If you’re looking for a new devotional book, I would recommend Keller’s God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life. Each chapter is short and only takes 1-2 minutes to read yet sometimes can take all day to consider. Keller helps us to consider the Bible each day more as God’s people. Have been made righteous in Christ, we should be living righteously before God and to others—our spouses, children, coworkers, and the poor among us. Having the wisdom of God available to us, we should work to gain more of his wisdom—to live well, to flourish in the new covenant, to serve, to work hard, to relax, to offer help, to be a good friend, to know what to do when difficult situations arise—to God’s glory. 
• 
  Abigail

  Super super solid devotional. I really enjoyed reading it this year. I found it a great primer alongside a super great Proverbs series my church did and How to Read Proverbs by Tremper Longman III (recommended to me by my pastor). There are some great thought-provoking questions in this volume. If you liked their Psalms devotional, you'll definitely like this one too. I think I liked this one more than the Psalms one actually.
• 
  Richard

  Was it wisdom that dictated we should abandon this barely half way through the year? Probably not. Are we happier for doing so? Oh yes!  'A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, this book will break you.' Proverbs 15:13 My version!
• 
  Sophia

  .
• 
  Mason Frierson

  Highly Recommended! I've enjoyed this deep, insightful devotional by Timothy Keller! Each day's devotion is just right, having the right amount of material, being deep enough, full of insight, but not overly long. It is so thought provoking that the reader can meditate on the information and the verses taught all throughout the day. It is set up similar to Keller's amazing and well received devotional Songs of Jesus. I've enjoyed that devotional immensely for the last few years. Songs of Jesus helps the believer meditate through the Psalms! I would recommend that book as well if you do not have it yet! This book is organized a little differently. In Songs of Jesus, Keller breaks up the sections in order systematically, from Psalm 1 all the way to the end of Psalm 150. In this devotional Keller selects a portion of Proverbs to read each day and to medicate on. Then he gives a teaching on that topic, using his own insights, other bible verses, and ends with a prayer!
  
  The sections are not divided as in Songs of Jesus in order by Chapters. It does not begin with proverbs 1 and end with proverbs 31. He divides the sections into topics, such as :
  
  1- Knowing Wisdom: What is Wisdom
  2-Knowing Wisdom: What is Foolishness
  3- How do we become Wise
  4-The Fear of the Lord
  5-Knowing the Heart; Understanding the Heart
  6-Understanding Emotion
  7- Seven Deadly Sins: Anger, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Lust each having its own section
  
  8-Knowing the Times and Seasons: Guidance, Planning, and Decision Making - This part is very practical and awesome!
  9-Insights for Our Age.
  10-Marriage
  11-Sex
  12- Parenting
  13- Money
  14 Knowing Jesus, The True Wisdom of God.
  
  For example, the reading for November 6, Keller teaches on Proverbs 30: 8-9 "Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread, Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Keller goes on to say "Money can corrupt us not only by its presence but by its absence. He then explains these verses in more detail and how we can apply this verse to our lives, answering questions including what it means by daily bread and should we as Christians divest ourselves of all money beyond a simple lifestyle? Keller continues " What it does mean is at least this: Our homes, clothing, and lifestyle should be modest within our circle and neighborhood so we can be as generous as possible. The Christian community should model to the world as society in which wealth and possessions are seen as tools for serving others and not as a means of personal advancement and fulfillment." He also quotes scriptures outside of Proverbs including 1 Timothy 6 about money and 1 Peter 2: 7 about our Lord Jesus Christ being our true precious treasure! Of course Tim goes deeper into this topic for this day and for the following days!
  
  So far I am really enjoying this devotional! The way it's organized by topics works really well! For this review I've read several days of this month, plus reading over selected topics. I've especially enjoyed the topics about Money and Knowing Jesus, the True Wisdom of God. This devotional goes very deep and is very thought provoking and edifying. It is meant to be read daily. It is saturated with scripture, including many scriptures outside of proverbs. I recommend it to all who love to spend time with the Lord. All of us need God's Wisdom ! As James wrote "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally without reproach, and it will be given to you . But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." James 1: 5-7
• 
  Bill Pence

  Tim and Kathy Keller follow The Songs of Jesus, their excellent devotional book on the Psalms, which I read throughout 2016, with their new God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life on the Proverbs. The authors start out by reflecting on the differences between Psalms and Proverbs. They write that Proverbs calls us to study, to think, to learn the practical discipline of centering all our thoughts and actions on God. Proverbs is about how as believers we should live our faith out. They look at Proverbs as poetry, puzzle and pedagogy.
  The authors tell us that Proverbs was written to be read and discussed with others, in particular older, wiser mentors. They suggest that readers use the devotional with a group of friends, and give helpful suggestions on a routine to follow:
  • Choose one of more friends to read the devotional, each reading the same reflection individually on the same day.
  • At the end of each reflection there is a question that helps you think more personally about how the teaching applies to your life. Write the answer to the question in a journal.
  • Write answers to two additional questions about the day’s proverb(s) in the journal, unless your response to the first question has already included them. As an example, where in your life or the life of someone else have you seen this observation illustrated? How can you put this observation into practice—in thought, attitude, word, or deed?
  • After completing your journal entry, pray the prayer at the end of each page. These short prayers are just “on ramps”—suggested ways to begin talking to God personally about what he is teaching you in his Word. You might want to put the prayer in your own words, and then continue speaking to him about how the particular Scriptural teaching should play out in your life.
  • Then meet with your friends who are doing the same daily exercise as often as you can. Share your best insights, discuss them together, encourage one another to apply the insights to your lives, and report to one another on how your efforts are going.
  The book is arranged as follows. The first weeks of the year examine the general teaching on the subject of wisdom in the first nine chapters of Proverbs. After that, the daily readings are grouped into sets of topics, enabling the reader to accumulate the various insights on a specific theme, piecing together the wisdom that the book offers on the subject.
  For example, the reading for November 12 addresses leadership. The authors tell us that the most powerful kind of leader is one who uses his or her authority ultimately to serve the ones being led. The greatest leaders are the greatest servants. A probing question is “Thinking of the best leaders you have known, how have evident love and a servant heart been important to their effectiveness?”
  The November 13 looks at what leaders do, specifically vision. They tell us that the best leaders are those who can paint a compelling picture of the future. A probing question is “Have you seen a leader cast a vision or paint a picture of the future in a compelling way? How was it done?”
  This new devotional will be part of my daily reading for the next year.
• 
  Bill Martin

  This book became such a part of my daily routine that I forgot to count it as "read" on the last day of 2020. Anytime a believer has the opportunity to be mentored by an older, wiser brother or sister in the Faith, it should be fully availed! This past year's devotions have been rich, thanks to committing to the journey through Proverbs this book offers readers.
  
  If you are brand new to daily devotional reading or to Christian discipleship, perhaps the Kellers' book on the Psalms, "The Songs of Jesus," would be a better starting point. This daily devotional guide on Proverbs (and other wisdom passages) assumes some Christian experience and biblical knowledge. I used it daily, about 30 minutes per read, and here was my pattern:
  
  1. Orient my heart through praying Psalm 119:18 (often with another to help turn my focus to God's word).
  2. Read the biblical text referenced. Read it slowly, noticing its features, context, key words, etc. Make brief observations of the text, as the Spirit illumined it to my mind. Write them down.
  3. (This part is completely "extra"). I used Bruce Waltke's commentary (Proverbs, NICOT) to dig deeper into the text, structure, and context of each passage. This is NOT recommended for everyone, but using a good commentary as another "conversation partner" is rich for me.
  4. Read the Kellers' devotional thoughts and let them lead my heart into prayer.
  5. Pray, sometimes using the prayer the Kellers provided, but most often writing my own short, devotional prayers. Open into a fuller time of prayer, using The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as a guide.
  6. Contemplate: are there any specific ways the Spirit wants to apply this text / truth to me or those to whom I am called to love?
  
  In some ways, this pattern adapts the Medieval version of Lectio Divina, but it's really a mashup of various devotional patterns I've tried (and failed with) over years of disciplining my devotional life. The main idea with ANY devotional habit is to present yourself to the Lord daily (Romans 12:1-2) and allow the Spirit to drive God's word deeper in your heart and life. You must be hungry and thirsty for this if you want to succeed, and finally, as you will learn in "God's Wisdom for Navigating Life," nothing in the Christian life is about spiritual performance to gain God's acceptance, but rather moving FROM total acceptance and reconciliation in Jesus Christ, as a child of God adopted by grace, into closer fellowship with God.
• 
  Flora

  Reasons why I like God's Wisdom for Navigating Life:
  
  1) Very well organized. You don't go through the whole book of Proverbs from chapter one verse one to the last verse in the book. Instead the daily devotions are grouped into categories or themes as follows:
  
  - Knowing wisdom – what is wisdom, how do we become wise
  - Knowing God
  - Knowing the heart – understanding the heart, temptation, emotions
  - Knowing others- friendship, gossip, conflicts
  - Knowing the times and the seasons – guidance, planning and decision-making
  - Knowing the spheres – marriage, sex, parenting, money and work power, justice
  - Knowing Jesus, the true wisdom of God
  
  2) As you can see above, it covers many aspects of life, if not all. If you want wisdom about everything in your life, where better to go then to the Book of Life, with wisdom from the Creator?
  
  3) It clears a lot of confusion with seemingly contradictory verses. Devotions grouped into themes and categories helps you to see verses in their proper contexts. Some verses seem to contradict each other but when you group them together, we see that each proverb is often a “description of some aspect of how life works.”
  
  4) Furthermore, Proverbs is seen as one of the chapters in the Bible, and the Kellers bring other verses from other books in the Bible to help you better see what God says about that area in your life.
  
  5) It allows you to go through the book of Proverbs slowly every day throughout the whole year, enabling you to slowly learn and digest and absorb and hopefully apply and live a life worthy of your calling!
  
  6) Challenging prayers – yes prayers! I was not sure I could pray some of those prayers!
  
  7) Extremely thought provoking questions at the end of each devotion. It helps you to delve down deep
  into your heart and your mind and your memories.
  
  These are just some of the reasons I can think of at the moment. I highly recommend this devotional! Timothy Keller preached on True Wisdom in his podcast and I highly recommend that you listen to it too. He is a fabulous preacher and many, many of his sermons have moved me to tears!
  
  Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the review copy. This is my honest opinion.
• 
  Tomomi Landsman

  I used credits to purchase this through Amazon's Great Reads.
  
  I had read Timothy Keller's The Meaning of Marriage right before getting married. I am not religious in any way, and neither is my husband, but I think both of us have a healthy respect for it and understand that there is a lot of collective wisdom in religion. I decided to check this out both because I was familiar with the author and because I had recently become close to a Christian friend.
  
  I didn't follow Keller's guide in how to 'use' the book, seeing as I finished it in a little over a month. The book is divided into about two pages (I think less in the print book, but about two pages for the Kindle version I was looking at) per day, which questions to journal on each day and a prayer. He also suggests forming a group to discuss these questions periodically. I didn't journal, nor did I ever discuss the questions with anyone, but since I'm already in the habit of reading books aloud, I did say many of the prayers aloud. I suggested the book to my friend, and she purchased it, but I'm not sure if she's done anything beyond that.
  
  I found this book interesting and enlightening in learning what the ideal is for Christians. Since I don't believe, I don't find the foundation that the book is based on to be compelling, but there are still a lot of things to reflect on to live a fulfilled life.
• 
  Michael

  Disappointed to see several devotions lean toward novel or clever-feeling interpretations of Proverbs, to the point I felt uncomfortable trusting the remaining days without constant doublechecking other sources. For example, for Proverbs 16:25 (a near clone of 14:12) he effectively says this proverb teaches that a wise man can do everything right and still have a bad outcome (i.e. channeling perplexities explored in Ecclesiates and Job). He references that "the wise" know this and provides a source link; when tracked to the back Notes section, it's a quote from Lord of the Rings. However, that proverb in context (and similarly for 14:12) is teaching on the deceptive nature of relying on our own senses and the ways of the world (foolishness) that end up in death. Virtually every commentator that can be referenced across the centuries has a similar understanding. Keller's novel takes here and elsewhere are interesting, but of questionable Biblical accuracy.