Proverbs 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth — Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Our Heavenly Father,
You have given to us the words of Solomon, David, Moses, Paul, Peter, and other Spirit-filled fellows. They are words of timeless truth, vast wisdom, and ever-growing beauty. They are words accompanied with divine power, for through them you often transform our hearts, minds, and actions.
They are so available to us. We read them, sing them, memorize them, pray them, and hear them preached to us. We are instructed by your Word at church, at home, in our cars, in our Christian schools, and whereever our mobile devices are found.
However, Lord, we must confess our apathy and coldness. We are too slow to go to your Word, and even slower to live accordingly. Too often we are “fools who despise your wisdom and instruction.”
Now Father, having confessed our folly, please do your sweet work. Move afresh upon us right now and grant us a holy reverence, respect, hunger, awe, and joyful seriousness, for we believe that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” May you be huge in our eyes. May you increase as we decrease. May you be our greatest passion. May we distrust competitive wisdom from our own hearts and the lips of others. May we rightly respect your truth and the fantastic consequences that normally accompany it, and may we rightly fear your always loving and often painful fatherly discipline.
Lord, change our hearts. From the inside-out, do your work that we may be fed from your Law and Gospel. Give us greater fear, and we will gain wisdom, instruction, understanding, prudence, knowledge, discretion, learning, and guidance.
We know you will answer this prayer, for this is clearly in accordance with your revealed will.
With great love,
Your chosen, redeemed, adopted, beloved, Spirit-filled, and yet brash and “simple” children.
Unfathomable Grace 