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Proverbs |
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| Chapter 1 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 17 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 2 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 18 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 3 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 19 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 4 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 20 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 5 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 21 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 6 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 22 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 7 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 23 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 8 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 24 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 9 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 25 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 10 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 26 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 11 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 27 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 12 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 28 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 13 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 29 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 14 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 30 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 15 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 31 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 16 | Prayer | Devotional |
Great God of Light, we want to know Your wisdom. We want to receive Your instruction. We want Your Word to make a difference in our lives, that we might not only hear but also obey You. Your teaching is the very best gift for our ears and our hearts. May we take in Your Word deeply. Cause us to walk in holy society, rather than joining in the company of wicked fools. We turn away from greed, and we run with joy to hear Your Word of truth. We open our hearts to the full river of wisdom that comes from Your throne. We will be safe because of Your strength and mercy. We choose to fear You, and we hear Your holy reproof and encouragement. We will dwell securely forever, for You have given us ears to hear Your holy Word.
Father God, we call out to You for insight and understanding. You are the Source of all wisdom. Help us to walk in true integrity as followers of Jesus Christ. He served in the way of righteousness continually. Deliver us from adulterous affections, and from men who rejoice in doing evil. Help us to remember the way of wisdom and to live a life of holiness and fruitfulness. Give us a fuller expectation that we will be with You in the land that You have prepared for those who fear You.
Sovereign Lord, we have taught our children the way to go. Forgive us where we have failed in our duties. Will the next generation remember that way of righteousness and follow it? Father, we admit to You that we have been wise in our own eyes. This is not the way of hope. Thank You for the discipline that You have given us. We see that You have moved us in the way of the cross through Your hand of correction. May we walk securely in faith and love. Give us diligence and prosperity that we might have something to share with those in need. We want You, O Lord. Give us wisdom so that we will know how to live in humility and peace.
Lord God, there is no doubt that You give us good precepts. Help us to see the connection between true wisdom and obedience. As a matter of first importance, may we seek the way of wisdom with real earnestness. Protect us and our children from dangerous company. The way of the wicked would be very destructive for us. We must not think that we are safe associating with those of crooked speech and devious talk. Keep us on a straight path of what we clearly know to be right.
Great God, we need to hear You. We must have discretion. We cannot live in the pursuit of base pleasures. There are much better delights that You have for those who are willing to love Your Word and Your presence among us. We think back to former days. We hated discipline. But You rescued us from that dangerous life. You have shown to many the gift of the love of one woman. We thank You for the blessing of marriage, and we ask that You would keep us from seductive thoughts, words, and actions that would destroy our lives.
Our Father, please protect us from the foolish snare of inappropriate financial commitments. Help us to live in an orderly way, diligent in our duties, and seeking good in all situations. Thank you for the hope that we have of a coming day of perfect deliverance from all sin. Even now we turn away from those things that You hate. We thank You for the gift of those who have taught us the right way to go. Help us not to forsake their good counsel. Keep us from an adulterous woman. She destroys her lovers. We are so grateful for Your perfect faithfulness and holiness, credited to us through faith in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Lord God, what is our twisted confusion that we find wickedness so attractive? How many times do we need to hear warnings against adultery? Isn’t the danger of sexual relationships outside of the protection of marriage a very obvious thing? Yet the young are exceedingly foolish on these matters, and even adults are slow to grow up. They still cling to the stupidity of unclean sexual behavior and look so foolish in their aging lusts. Protect us all from this way of sin long before it finds a dangerous resting place in our hearts. Surely we are not yet beyond this kind of evil. It could so easily infect our souls and destroy our lives. Protect us from this kind of deadly behavior.
Great God and King, You are the Source of all wisdom. Your Son is wisdom incarnate. He has spoken noble things. He has hated wickedness and lawlessness. He has perfectly attended to Your holy instruction. All knowledge and discretion are in Him. If we will seek wisdom with all our hearts, we will be able to lead well in the spheres where You have placed us. Grant to us the inheritance of those who have truly embraced Your wisdom. We marvel at what You have accomplished in all Your perfect wisdom. Through wisdom You have made the heavens and the earth. Through this same wisdom You maintain all of Your works according to Your plan. Through Your wisdom we have been delivered from the way that leads to death. Wisdom has always been Your delight. We will listen to the One who is Your wisdom, and we will find life and peace in Him.
O God of Wisdom, You have invited us to have communion with You. Grant us help from on high, that we may increase in wisdom. Help us to resist folly. Folly moves foolish people on a pathway of deceit, crime, and death. We need You. We need Your strength. It is not enough for us to know the way of wisdom. We must walk in it. We must come into Your home. We must sit down at Your table. We must rise up day by day and embrace You. Make us wise, O God.
Our Father, we want to rejoice in You as we walk in the way of wisdom. By that path make us diligent and true. Prosper us in plans of integrity and goodness. Make us careful and gracious in our words. Help us to have real love in our hearts. Help us to see the goal of true life, and to continue on the path toward that good destination. Show us how to restrain our desires and our mouths. Grant us Your wise Spirit that we might have the mind of Christ. We want to dwell in the land of the righteous. Keep us from all that is perverse.
O Lord, greed will destroy us so quickly. Deliver us from death, or we will fall by our own folly. We need help from You in the depths of our souls. If we can truly be righteous we will be of benefit to many people, but if we travel on the road of wickedness, we will be the source of much trouble for ourselves and others. We know that the way to true prosperity now and forever can only be by the way of wisdom. Make us generous and pure. What great character Your Son had in His earthly days! He never sinned. We have become His inheritance. He has captured our souls, and we are glad. His wisdom and godliness endures forever.
Lord God, we want to know things, but do we really love true wisdom? Grant to Your people wisdom in friendships as we move toward maturity. We need to have good sense in the choice of a companion for life. Please protect us from evil and foolish impulses. Teach us to listen to good advice, and to test all things rightly according to Your Word. Help us to make good plans that will lead to true peace. The way of laziness and sin seems so close to us at all times. Help us to be up and about our duties, and to grow in close communion with You.
Heavenly Father, is there some way that we could have the power to guard our hearts and our tongues? Sin that proceeds from our hearts seems to overthrow us. Please change us in our inner being, and renew us according to the purest and best desires that could only come from You. Point us toward the way of life according to Your Word. Help us to receive that Word through faithful ambassadors. May our inheritance that we leave for future generations be full of Your wisdom. Make us diligent in the love and discipline of our children. Raise up the next generation according to Your holy will.
Glorious God, You are building a holy house. You provide for us ministers and parents to move us in the way of understanding. Your Son grants us great spiritual wisdom by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help us to flourish in Your presence forever. Keep us from pathways that lead only to death. Make us cautious enough to turn away from evil. Help us not to pass on folly to future generations. You make us generous to the poor, and diligent in all our duties. Thank You for the truthful witness of Your Word. The fear of You, O Lord, is a fountain of life. May we drink deeply of these good waters. May wisdom take root in our hearts, and bring forward glorious fruits in our own lives and in the lives of those who hear us and follow us.
Lord God, keep us from words that are unnecessarily harsh. Grant us gentle speech and ears that heed reproof. Our Father, how is it that wickedness so easily finds a resting place in our lives and in our homes? Give us glad hearts as we contemplate the many blessings that You have given to us. May we feast on the fullness of Your grace and wisdom day by day. Move us along on the good highway of righteousness, and grant us a healthy glimpse of our destination, lest we become discouraged and despondent, and turn away from the way of the cross either to the right or to the left.
Father God, bring Your help now to those who call upon Your Name. Grant us steadfast love and faithfulness, and lead us in turning away from evil. Enticing greed is so dangerous for us. We must not go down that road. Keep us far away from those things that are dangerous for our souls. We trust in You, for You have granted us eternal life. Your words are gracious, and Your way is the way of life. Teach us not to listen to words that will not be good for our lives. Teach us the wisdom of common endeavor with godly companions.
Lord God, Your Son became a servant for our sake. Help us to be willing to serve. We remember that You are the Maker of the poor. Teach us to cover an offense, for we are grateful for Your eternal love. What sense is there in returning evil for good? You have been so good to us. Should we be evil toward You? We should not even return evil back to those who have truly wronged us. How much more should we honor You, who sent us salvation at great cost to Yourself and to Your Son. Grant to us a fuller contemplation of Your goodness, and bring us a more joyful heart day by day. Keep us from foolish speech, that we might not unnecessarily parade our stubborn unrighteousness as if it were a badge of honor.
Master, we need to listen to Your wisdom. Forgive us for our wickedness, and for the foolishness of our speech. We desire both purity and peace. Grant to us wise restraint in our thoughts and our words. Rather than rushing into every situation with careless lips, we should rush to You in a time of trouble. We should seek knowledge from You, and listen to others first before we speak. Keep us from unnecessary quarrels. Why should we feed off of our own impulsive words? We would do much better to listen carefully to others and to consider all matters clearly in Your presence.
Our Father, grant us integrity and knowledge more than raw intelligence and wit. Grant to us a true generosity of heart that comes by Your grace. Make us to be people of good sense who know the glory of overlooking an offense. Grant us peace within our homes, and diligence throughout our lives. Your Son has come from a heavenly home of perfect integrity, and has given us the incomparable gift of a most wise and generous salvation. Thank You for the blessings of life that have come from Your hand. Even now You speak to us from Your Word, and You give us instruction and knowledge.
Great God, please keep us from drunkenness and addiction. Restrain us from all movements toward wickedness and sin. These things lead to death. Keep us working at our appointed posts where we serve You day by day. Thank You for the diligence, righteousness, and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. He had no stain of sin. He made Himself known by His conduct. His lips brought forth knowledge. He did nothing by deceit, but always served You by the wisest counsel of His own pure heart. He did not repay evil with evil, but came to die for our rebellion. He has given Himself to You in complete holiness. In His Spirit is the most complete purity of holiness. Grant us this Spirit even now.
Lord God, we have a powerful and holy King. He knows the truth of every heart. We have sin in the depths of our being, but Your Son was perfectly pure in the wonder of His holy life. He has sent forth the most abundant mercy to us. In His knowledge is life for our souls. Grant us the integrity of an obedient heart, willing to hear Your Word and follow. Keep us from the foolishness of drunkenness and gluttony. We will never be able to provide for those in need if we eat and drink everything that we earn. Place within us a new and powerful resolve to follow Your counsel, and to love the way of wisdom.
Father, how do we continue to make poor choices when the way of life is so clear? Help us to remember again the lessons that we learned in our youth. For what good reason have we abandoned the counsel of the godly? There is no hope for us in adultery and indolence. We will only be the joke of those who scoff at those who fall. Train us up again in righteousness from Your holy Word, for the way of Your Word is perfect. The way of our own foolishness will not be better for us and for others than the life of truth and grace in Jesus Christ. Grant us fresh resources from Your abundant wisdom.
Lord of Glory, forgive us for our many follies. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we should do it all for Your glory. We must hear Your instruction and apply our hearts to the truth. What do we say? How do we bring up our children? How do we work, and what is our way of having fun? In all of these things we need Your wisdom. We long for the health, safety, and fruitfulness of future generations. Drowning ourselves in wine will never solve our problems. It will do us no good to pretend that we are stronger than we really are. You are God, and we are not. Our lives and the lives of our descendants are surely in Your hands.
Father God, there is a way of evil and a way of wisdom. Teach us to run from one, and to follow the other. We need Your strength to live wisely in our daily lives. Encourage our hearts in wonderful ways. Teach us to move along in righteousness and truth. Worry will never solve our problems. Grant to us a respect for governing authorities. We need to turn away from wickedness, and to pursue truth, diligence, humility, and even love. Thank You for Your grace. Train us to see the obvious lessons that You have provided all around us that we might live a life of true wisdom.
Glorious Lord, You know so many things that seem beyond us. What joy there is in seeking out knowledge in the right way! Thank You for the life of order and character that You have decreed for Your servants. Teach us to discover the way of goodness as we grow in years. May we remember the lessons that we have already learned. Make these to be good habits in a life that is well-ordered. How should we treat our enemies? How can we deal with the contentious? What is the right way to care for the poor? Lord, we will surely travel down fruitless pathways if we ignore Your wisdom. What great benefits You have given to us in a right consideration of the lives of those who have gone before us.
Our Father, we need great wisdom to know when to speak and what to say. Give us caution and patience, so that we will turn to You and consider. Teach us when to be still, and when to say or do something that might be useful. Grant to us diligence in our duties. Keep us mindful of what You have given us to do, and aware of true opportunities for love and service. Cleanse us from the depths of our being. Take away all scheming and deceitfulness, for these impurities will only work toward our own destruction.
Lord God, You know the beginning from the end. We trust You. We marvel at the perfect wisdom of Your Son. Every impulse and detail of His heart and life was perfect. He related perfectly in all family relationships. He discerned every right opportunity for friendship and service. The heart of our Savior was perfect, just as the Man Himself was perfect. His glory will last forever. His righteousness is eternal. In Him we have a secure hope and a future of grace and truth. Grant to us the mind of Christ even now, so that we might serve You rightly.
O God, what will we do when the wicked come against us? Grant us powerful aid from heaven when the strong would oppress the poor. We will be generous to those in need. We will not lead the simple astray. Help us to guide Your people home to You through our words and actions. Keep us tender in our sympathies and our understanding. Teach us to walk in integrity. Make us faithful in every test by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You for those who have gone before us. We honor the memory of the godly, and thank You for Your grace in their lives and in ours.
Father God, we must not stiffen our necks against You. There are dangers all around us. Only by Your wisdom will we escape the traps that seem to be on every side. When we fall, Your Son is still near, and He will rescue us. Teach us to remember the day of discipline and to learn from our trials. Your Son has kept the Law. We are blessed in Him. We should be the most gentle people, for we have been saved by Your grace. We trust You, O Lord, and we find abundant safety in You.
Great God of Life, grant us energy and wisdom for living. You are the great Author of Creation, and Your Son is the Word of truth. Teach us the blessing of Your provision of daily bread. Train us to know that we are creatures. We turn to You and humbly submit to Your decrees. There is much that we do not understand, yet we know in our hearts when we have done wrong. Grant us the grace of repentance. May we learn the lessons You have for all men from observation of Your works of providence among the vast array of Your creatures.
Lord God, we must be men and women of character. Teach us to love integrity more than wine. Give us new hearts, that we might serve the poor and the needy. Grant that the young women within Your kingdom would have a true desire for diligence, wisdom, and generosity. Give them great skill and dignity. Grant to them excellence of thought and speech. May our young men desire women of character, women who fear You, and who are committed to serving You. May Your church rejoice in this great truth: that we together are the one bride of Christ, the greatest of all husbands, and that we are being sanctified to serve Him well now and forever.