The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 2:1-15 (day two) 

Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; vs. 2

Solomon makes clear if you truly desire wisdom, it is an active pursuit. It is not enough for us to pray ‘Lord, make me wise’ and then sit back and hope for the best. There is quite a bit of housekeeping that must be done in your heart, your mind, and your daily pursuits. Chapter two of the book of proverbs is a necessary baseline for all who would pursue the wisdom of God. We must constantly be in pursuit. There should be a hunger to know the will and word of God. Beyond that knowledge we should implement those teachings into how we think and how we relate to others. This is a wholesale shift in how we look at life’s challenges. The lens of wisdom requires a submission of the heart.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day seven) 

Wisdom and knowledge are not interchangeable. It is completely common to see individuals who have plenty of knowledge but lack wisdom. It is also possible to have immense wisdom and not be highly educated. Why is this?  Wisdom is the right use of knowledge in your everyday life. Wisdom is not a given because you are intellectual. Wisdom shows you have put in the effort to truly know who gave you the knowledge in the first place. When your relationship with the Lord is intimate, you will find that it becomes easier to apply the knowledge you have gained to the situations that arise (wisdom). The Holy Spirit becomes a part of you, guiding you, leading you, to move step in step with Him. Those steps are always wise, always smart. If the beginning of knowledge is fearing God, the beginning of wisdom is knowing God.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day six)

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! Genesis 1:31

By good, I do not think God meant aesthetically pleasing, although his creation is awe-inspiring. I believe he meant that the way he ordered the universe (and the land) for our flourishing was good. Another way to say it is, God’s order in creation is intended for our good, that we would flourish in every way. As image bearers, we were always meant to walk in this goodness.

When we walk in God’s goodness, it is called wisdom. That’s what King Solomon is after in Proverbs.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day five)

“To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity;”

Are you excited about this study in Proverbs?  Are you ready for this study of Proverbs? How can you tell?  Maybe a hint is found in these opening verses. Several similar words appear in these introductory verses. Learning. Instruction. Understanding. Knowledge. Sounds like a classroom doesn’t it?  So, are we teachable?  Are we desperate to learn and grow?  Are we humble (honest) enough to admit that we don’t know it all?  Are our hearts soft enough to confess we need help and guidance to live and think more like Jesus?  The book of Proverbs gives us opportunity for progress- in all areas of our lives. Ready to learn?  Ready to grow?  Ready to think, live, and love others more like Jesus?  Proverbs = Progress

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day four)

One of the most challenging aspects of Christianity is that at times, it goes against logic – our earthly logic, at least. Christianity asks us to believe in a miraculous God who behaves in miraculous ways that will always be somewhat mysterious to us. There will always be aspects of God that we can’t wrap our heads around.

But that’s also what makes Christianity beautiful – the more we walk with God the more we see that his mysterious, logic-defying ways are better than our ways. His wisdom is better than our most sound arguments. As we learn to live well in God’s world, we have to walk with humility knowing that God’s ways are higher. Proverbs helps us do that. Proverbs helps us take the inward change we experience after finding Christ and express that change on the outside. Proverbs helps us unlearn the “wisdom” of the world (which is no wisdom at all) and replace it with God’s amazing, illogical wisdom.

It even tells us where to begin – if we want to have godly wisdom, we have to fear the Lord. We have to recognize that he is limitless and we are finite. We have to surrender to his Lordship. Only then can we start the journey towards wisdom.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day three)

“A man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.”

Why don’t they just say it plainly? Why all these allusions and riddles? This was also the question of Jesus’s disciples. Time and again, they asked him to explain what he meant. Jesus could have said, “Your neighbor is anyone with whom you are in effective contact regardless of station in life.” Instead, he told the parable of the Samaritan. Proverbs could have said, “Some things are beyond the control of even those with absolute political power.” Instead, it says, “A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.” Plain talk will eventually get lost in the noise of life. Riddles, parables, and puzzles will intrigue hearers and invite curiosity for generations.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day two) 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Vs. 7a

Do you read instruction manuals, or do you simply go as far as you can before doubling back after unsuccessfully going it on your own? I think there is a real case study in humanity here, but I will leave that to others. I confess, I am in the latter category, and time and time again I get to a place where I realize I am out of my depth. This requires a bit of humiliation, more time than I allotted, and ultimately, a reference back to the instruction manual that was sitting there the whole time. Solomon is giving us a perfect framework for the study of Proverbs. What are you wanting to get out of this study, or any study of scripture? It may be wise to put these verses close by and ask the Lord what he is revealing as you study.

Know wisdom

Discern sayings

Receive instruction

Give prudence

Acquire wise counsel

Understand Proverbs