The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water. – Proverbs 20:5

Have you ever had to draw water from a well? Running water is standard in most modern houses in the U.S., even if its source is a well. But, in the Old Testament, if you wanted water, you had to drop a bucket down a deep hole, allow the water to fill it, and then hoist it to the surface. If you had talked to someone back then about “deep water,” they would likely have pictured a well.

Today’s verse compares the “purpose” of man’s heart to deep water. Other translations use the word “advice” in place of “purpose,” which may make this proverb easier to understand. Deep water is a metaphor for something unseen, sheltered, and hidden, like that of a well. So the proverb indicates that the motivations, intentions, and the advice, or wisdom, that someone has received and valued are hidden deep within them. It takes a person with solid understanding to be able to draw it out of them.

What is in your “deep water?“ Is your well clean and pure, full of God’s truths? Or has it become polluted and in need of “cleaning out?” Do you know how to draw the motivations and values out of another person’s heart? Ask the Lord to guide you in keeping your “well” and in assisting others. Pray over the public servants of the United States, that they may seek out and be surrounded by solid advice rooted in God and His Word.