For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you,and understanding will guard you.

Proverbs 2

There are several passages here where I hear God speaking to me:

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding —
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones. 

...

⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.

¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹ Discretion will protect you,

    and understanding will guard you. 

...

¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,

...

¹⁶ Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

,,, 

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.

Of course I seek all of this, including protection for wickedness and sin - my own sin and the sin of others that can draw me into my own sin.  Verse 10-11 in particular speak to me in that I desire God's wisdom on many fronts: so that I can understand His will for my life and also for his protection from sinful and bad choices.


My Prayer: Lord, Your wisdom is infinite.  You now the answers to all questions and I can come to You with any difficult question or problem - this is amazing.  That you provide all of this for me however is humbling because I don't deserve this.  I am weak and sinful.  I lust after other women from time to time and this is wrong and sinful.   I am thankful that You love me anyway but I desperately need Your forgiveness Lord.  And I need Your protection from such sin.  Help me build up my faith and my trust in You so that I can become more like You and wisdom will enter my heart and knowledge will be pleasant to my soul.

[B]ut whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Proverbs 1

[B]ut whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. (verse 33)

These words are of great comfort to me and validation in the power of the Word and time with Him.  There is no God and there is no other Truth.  I must place all of my faith in Him and His Word.  I must follow Jesus with everything I have:

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”(Matthew 22:36-40)

My Prayer: Lord, You resolve all challenges - there is NOTHING I cannot bring to You.  How awesome You are.   Yet I continue to worry - about my school work and my job and balancing this with all of my obligations as a husband and father.  I thank You Jesus that You love me despite my worry and even though I am broken in other (many) ways.  I ask that You please forgive me for my worries Jesus.  Please strengthen my faith...help me not to worry.  Help me to love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.
 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1

I have often struggled with reading consistently in terms of educating myself on important topics, including faith, parenting, marriage, etc...although I am thankful that God has increased my passion for reading the Word.  Here in Proverbs 1 I am reminded that we are to seek wisdom continuously and of course the place to do this is through the Word first and foremost, and then through other sources.

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

This is again echoed in Hebrews 6:

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,and of faith in God, ² instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You resolve all challenges and You protect me - I have seen this time and time again.  I don't need to worry...yet I do.  My faith is weak.  I thank You so much that You love me anyway.  Please help me strengthen my faith and my trust in You.  Help me grow in my knowledge of You, Your ways, and Your guidance/instruction for me.

the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 147

Once again it is helpful for me to reflect on God's greatness...particularly as I continue to draw near to Him after a separation based on my own sin and lack of faith.

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love. 

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His response was:

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37)

So it is my hope that I fear God and put my hope in His unfailing love...

My Prayer: Lord, this Psalm really only scratches the surface of how great You are.  And You are great to me as You have blessed me beyond what I can imagine or deserve.  Yet I am weak and talk ill of others and this is a sin.  I am thankful for Your rich blessings of which I am undeserving.  I am thankful for Your love and Your selflessness.  I pray that You will not only forgive me but that you will also build me up and strengthen my faith...transform my heart and my life Lord so I can delight You. 

Praise the Lord, my soul

Psalm 146

I have struggled over the past several weeks with worry and my faith in Christ has been weak...and I have committed other sins as well.  Yet the Lord loves me no matter what and no less based on anything I do.  What an amazing God!  The verses from this Psalm definitely speak to me today.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

My Prayer: Lord, you ARE awesome...that you welcome me back anytime regardless of how I seperate myself from You with sin.  I confess to you today that my faith has been weak and that I have trusted in my own powers and the power of others...regardless of what this Psalm says to not trust princes (or other humans!).  I have also lusted over other women in my heart and I am full of shame.  I thank You that You love me and can forgive me of these sins because of course I need You to and I am asking that You do.  Please also build up my faith and help me close the separation that I have had with You and help me seek You out daily and throughout my day.



Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.

Psalm 146


² 

I will praise the Lord all my life; 

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 

³ 

Do not put your trust in princes, 

    in human beings, who cannot save.

⁴ 

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; 

    on that very day their plans come to nothing. 

⁵ 

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

I know for myself that I put too much trust in people - this is wrong and God says it is.  This is not to say that you cannot trust people...it is just that you should not trust others to the extent that you don't trust God.  In other words, are you hoping others will fill a void in your heart that only God can fill.

I suppose another way of looking at this is that I don't want to get all of my happiness based on others' actions that I desire.  If I am to experience true peace, joy and happiness, I must love the Lord my God with all of my heart, mind, and soul.

Other scripture to  support my thoughts:

First of all, many people have false teachings....

15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-20

Additionally, even if someone who speaks truth...there is but one God and Jesus Christ should be our firm foundation.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

My Prayer: Lord, there is none like You.  You are everything and You love me and are so full of grace for me.  This is once again amazing to me - because I am weak and disobedient.  Thank You Lord Jesus for such great love and grace - I am undeserving.  Please forgive me for my sin today and help purify and strengthen me.