Post of the Week: Proverbs 2

Seek the Lord & Fear Him (Aug 10)

The author of Proverbs clearly
states the purpose of the book:
To know wisdom and instructions
(Prov 1:2-5). God wants His people
to be wise and skilful in making
moral and ethical choices. And
the first nine chapters of Proverbs
take the form of a fatherly address
to a young son – a divine primer
for learning the fear of the Lord.

Lord, we will Seek Your Word:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge, and fools despise
wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7)
If you receive My Words & treasure
My commands… making your ear
attentive to wisdom, and apply your
heart and mind to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for insight…
If you seek wisdom as silver
and search for her as for hidden
treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God (Prov 2:1-5).

Lord, develop in us deep Reverence
of You that will lead to wisdom.
Grant us grace to Fear You rather
than the circumstances in the
present or what-ifs of the future.
Help me Be Open to advice and
be willing to listen from those who
can give valuable insight & counsel.
Open my heart to be teachable
to receive correction willingly.
Help me not let pride stand in the
way to receive godly advice. Amen.

Lord, wisdom comes from You
and Your Word; but You give
wisdom only to earnest Seekers.
Grant us the grace to be fervent
seekers of Your Word & instruction,
to be upright in character and
to be faithful to Your cause.
Open my ears to wisdom & help me recognise wisdom when I hear it.
Pray in all my seeking, I will find it;
for U are the giver of wisdom. Amen

O Gracious and Loving Father,
Open our eyes to Your presence;
open our minds to Your grace;
open our hearts to Your love and
open our lips to Your praises.
Give us Lord the wisdom and
understanding to perceive You,
the diligence to seek You,
the patience to wait for You and
the fulfilment to proclaim You;
through the power of the Spirit
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Meditating on Jer 11-15 (Aug 16)

Seek the Lord While He Is Near

God instructs Jeremiah to take
a linen girdle (a tight-fitting belt)
and bury it by the Euphrates River.
Later he is told to dig it up again.
The result is predictable: one ruined
girdle, unfit to wear any longer.
And the parallel is painfully clear.
Selected by God for a place of
intimate fellowship (just like the
girdle), Judah would now be cast
away in judgment for her corruption.

There is a time to pray, to repent,
to come to God on our knees.
But there is coming a day when it
will be too late to pray for anyone.
Today we have the freedom to seek
God or to avoid Him,to acknowledge
our need or to sidestep the issue.
So, let’s Seek the Lord while He
may be found. And when we obey
that charge, we will find the reward
as promised waiting for you. Lord,
We Ask for Your Justice;
We Ask for Your Assistance; &
We Ask for Your Sustenance. Amen.

Lord, we Ask for Your Justice:
You are always righteous O Lord,
when I bring a case before You.
Yet I would speak with You about
Your justice: Why does the way
of the wicked prosper? Why do
all the faithless live at ease? But
You O Lord know me; You have
seen me, and You have tested
my heart toward You (Jer 12:1-3).
Lord, You are always good and just
and I don’t question Your ways.
But I confess that sometimes
I wonder why certain people seem
to get away with “murder” while
others, who are Your servants –
and seem to have done nothing
wrong – have so much suffering.
Help me to see these things from
Your perspective so that I might
help others do the same. Amen.

Lord, we Ask for Your Assistance:
The people say: Our wickedness
has caught up with us Lord, but
help us for the sake of Your own
reputation. We have turned away
from You and sinned against You
again and again… We are known
as Your people. Please don’t
abandon us now (Jer 14:7-9).
Lord, we ask for Your help, but not
because we have done anything
to deserve it. We ask for Your help
because we know You love to save.
You are a God who rains down grace
on people who don’t deserve it.
So, send the rains of Your grace
into our lives. Soak us in Your
undeserved favour for Your glory
whose mighty name we pray, Amen.

Lord, we Ask for Your Sustenance:
O Lord… remember me and visit
me… Know that for Your sake
I have suffered rebuke. Your Words
are what sustain me. They bring
me great joy and are my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name
O Lord God Almighty (Jer 15:15-16)
Lord, Thank You for Your holy Word.
Build in me a deeper hunger for
it and reliance on it each day.
Lead me Lord as I consume Your
instructions, promises as well as testimonies. Sustain me thro them and they will be my joy and my heart’s delight. In His name, Amen.