Category: Wisdom Prayer

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Wisdom Prayer

Don’t be a Sluggard!

Don’t be a Sluggard!

I pray for wisdom for those who take their dedication to work seriously. In Jesus’s name, amen.

King Solomon uses a creature that would normally be overlooked, and he turns an ant into the hero of the story.

Proverbs 6:6-11 (ESV) compares an industrious ant to a person who does not work hard.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.”

Take Solomon’s answer to heart. Bring renewed discipline and dedication to your work. Put in perspective how well a small creature can be so productive.

Take action steps. Prevent poverty.

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Wisdom Prayer

Don’t Cosign for Another Person’s Debt!

Don’t Cosign for Another Person’s Debt!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who don’t rest until they are free from having bound themselves to pay for another’s debt. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Never agree to pay for someone else’s debt, for if they default, you must repay it.

Proverbs 6:1-5 (ESV) argues a person should urgently plead with your neighbor to release yourself from any obligations.

“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger,
if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
caught in the words of your mouth,
then do this, my son, and save yourself,
for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”

Avoid entanglements that can cost you dearly. If the other person were to default, creditors can come after you. Don’t find yourself in such a situation.

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Wisdom Prayer

Listen To Your Teachers!

Listen To Your Teachers!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who listen to the voice of their teachers and incline their ear to their instructors. In Jesus’s name, amen.

King Solomon’s message resonates today. According to the English Standard Version of the Bible, Solomon “reigned c. 971-931 B.C.” God used Solomon to give fair warning to those who violate God’s laws.

Proverbs 5:7-14 (ESV) continues the theme of earlier verses in Proverbs 5 about avoiding adultery.

“And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”

With all that can befall one involved in an inappropriate relationship, it pays to stay clear of illicit involvement. Thank God for his words of wisdom.

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Wisdom Prayer

Avoid Adultery!

Avoid Adultery!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who refuse to be tempted by the lips of the forbidden. In Jesus’s name, amen.

King Solomon gave advice to men tempted to commit adultery. His dire warning says of the woman providing the temptation, “Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol.”

Proverbs 5:1-6 (ESV) describes what happens if a person is seduced by the temptress.

“My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol;
she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.”

Beware the temptress. If you have already succumbed to adulterous behavior, stop now. Repent and ask God’s forgiveness. Go, and sin no more.

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Wisdom Prayer

Springs of Life!

Springs of Life!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who ponder the path of their feet, so all their ways will be sure. In Jesus’s name, amen.

In the notes to Proverbs 4:24 in the English Standard Version of the Bible, “Crooked speech points one in the path of the wicked. Crooked speech includes not only dishonest speech but also any good and honest communication (e.g., rebuke) without the proper content, context, or purpose.”

Proverbs 4:20-27 (ESV) reiterates the importance of being attentive to Solomon’s God-given wisdom.

“My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward
, and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.”

Be on guard to follow God’s ways. Avoid evil. Be mindful of other’s crooked speech.

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Wisdom Prayer

Do Not Enter the Path of the Wicked!

Do Not Enter the Path of the Wicked!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who do not enter the path of the wicked. In Jesus’s name, amen.

King Solomon has warnings for those who are not wise.

Proverbs 4:10-19 (ESV) is about those who hold on to wisdom and instruction, and, in contrast, those who enter the path of the wicked.

“Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.”

Do not even think of following the way of the wicked. God can provide a way of escape. Pray. Ask God to make his direction clear.

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