DAY 4: PRAY FOR WISDOM FROM ABOVE – PASTOR HEIDEN RATNER
PASTOR HEIDEN RATNER
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SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 1:7
1 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
DEVOTION
Today marks the first day of September which for me triggers one thing – the book of Proverbs. Every first of the month my mind is drawn to a spiritual principle I learned over a decade ago, that being to read the “Proverb of the Day.” Or another way to put it is to read the specific chapter in the book of Proverbs that coincides with each day of the month. With today being the first, I felt it was only right to observe Proverbs 1 and pray for wisdom that comes down from the Lord Himself. (James 3:17)
Wisdom is something we all long for, and If you don’t, you should. The wiser we become the less mistakes we make. King Solomon tells us in Proverbs 3:13-15 that wisdom is far better than riches and gold, and then again in Proverbs 7:4, he titles wisdom our “intimate friend.” So, how do we get wisdom? You might ask. I believe there are several right ways to answer this question, however, we will focus on three of those answers below.
1) Ask the Lord
James the brother of Jesus makes it clear in the opening remarks of his letter that: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) Wisdom is a free gift from the Lord that we should take Him up on. It all starts with an ask!
2) Seek for It
In Proverbs 2:1-7, Solomon encourages the reader to make their ears attentive to wisdom, to incline their hearts to understanding, and to seek for it like silver. In other words, Solomon is saying don’t just sit there expecting to get wiser, rather put the work in to become wiser!
3) Fear the Lord
In this first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon reminds the reader that it’s the “fear of the LORD” that leads to an increased knowledge and wisdom. Dr. Tony Evans states in his Kingdom Man study that the fear of the LORD means to take God seriously. When we begin to take God, His Word, and His will for our lives seriously, we then enter into the beginning stages of wisdom. Do you fear the Lord more than you fear the opinions of man? Wisdom hangs in the balance of your answer.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” – Psalm 111:10
PRAYER
God, You are the Father of wisdom. It’s true that there’s nobody wiser than you! We ask You today to grow us up in wisdom. We need Your wisdom in how to deal with the seasons we are living in. Whether that be collectively or/and individually, we call on Your name for an increase in wisdom. In Jesus name, amen!
ACTION STEP
- At some point today read all of Proverbs chapter 1. Commit to reading the Proverb chapter of the day throughout the entire month of September.
IDEAS:
- Journal your takeaways while reading through Proverbs this month.
- Invite a friend to go through Proverbs with you.
- Identify an area(s) you need wisdom in and then take it to the Lord in prayer.
- Ask yourself what items you are fearing the opinion of man more than you are fear the LORD?
FITNESS
IDEAS:
- Run the forth mile out of the total of 21.
- Do 13 sit-ups and 14 push-ups.
