Prayer A to Z

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom

And the man who gains understanding.

14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver

And her gain better than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than jewels;

And nothing you desire compares with her (Prov. 3:13-15).

• Wisdom is tied to understanding; you can’t separate the two.
• Wisdom is something you look for and hopefully find and then are blessed with.
• The blessing of wisdom is better than anything earthly of this world.

 [When wisdom comes to you it] will enter your heart

And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will guard you,

Understanding will watch over you,

12 To deliver you from the way of evil,

From the man who speaks perverse things;

13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness

To walk in the ways of darkness (Prov. 2:10-13).

If you are wise, your soul will be pleased with God’s knowledge. If you are wise, discretion will guard you and understanding will watch over you and deliver you from evil.

If Christians weren’t bombarded with the sins of the world and with all kinds of false messages, the Christian life would be relatively easy and a joy. But the way things are, we have plenty to confuse us and get us off-track.

After thinking on this, I think we may see the Christian life in two parts: 1) Christian living in relationship with God and in the family of God, and 2) Christian living in relationship with God but also in contact with the world.

1 The Christian in Relationship with God and in the Family of God

This is where the Christian life starts. We learn that we have a loving Father and a loving Savior—Jesus Christ. And we also learn that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. And along the way we learn the value of prayer and God’s word. And we learn of God’s forgiveness:…

For the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright (Prov. 2:6-7).

Seek knowledge and understanding, and be upright; and He will give you wisdom.

My son, if you will receive my words

And treasure my commandments within you,

2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,

Incline your heart to understanding (Prov. 2:1-2).

If you want wisdom you will seek to understand God’s words.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

Fools give no thought to God’s will and to wisdom. They despise it.

I have just read The Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass. It is the story of his slavery–from his young years to the time he escaped to freedom (I think he was about 19 or twenty). He went through the usual treatment, being whipped often and regarded as an animal and as the property of the slaveholder-the master. But at the same time he secretly educated himself–leaned to read and write. I have not read any more of his life than this narrative, but I have read that he came to be a very great leader and brilliant. In fact I read that Lincoln sought his advice on a few matters.

Anyway, I was so struck with what happened shortly after he escaped to freedom in the north, in New Bedford. What he experienced was not what he expected. He all along thought that free states would be…

Minnesota Red-headed Woodpecker

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments (Psalm 111:10).

When I act in wisdom I will always regard what He wants.