WisdomAndUnderstanding | Kristi's Morning Devotional

I love reading the book of Proverbs. The insights that Solomon has written are invaluable and timeless.

He was a young man when his father, David, died and he became king of Israel. The Lord told him to ask for whatever he would like, and God would give it to him.

“Lord my God, you have made me the king in my father’s place, but I am like a small child. I don’t have the wisdom I need to do what I must do. ⁸I am your servant here among your chosen people. There are so many that they cannot be counted. ⁹So I ask you to give me the wisdom to rule and judge them well and to help me know the difference between right and wrong. Without such great wisdom, it would be impossible to rule this great nation.”

¹⁰The Lord was happy that Solomon asked for wisdom. ¹¹So God said to him, “You did not ask for long life and riches for yourself. You did not ask for the death of your enemies. You asked for the wisdom to listen and make the right decisions. ¹²So I will give you what you asked for. I will make you wise and intelligent. I will make you wiser than anyone who ever lived or ever will live. ¹³And I will also give you what you did not ask for. You will have riches and honor all your life. There will be no other king in the world as great as you.” I Kings 3:7-13 ERV

After this, the nations of the world would send their leaders to Solomon seeking his answers to their questions. He was renowned for his wisdom and with wisdom came wealth and peace.

The book of Proverbs gives instruction for the youth and the aged. There is no limitation as to who can benefit from wisdom.

“Those who find wisdom are fortunate; they will be blessed when they gain understanding. ¹⁴Profit that comes from wisdom is better than silver and even the finest gold. ¹⁵Wisdom is worth more than fine jewels. Nothing you desire has more value.

¹⁶With her right hand, Wisdom offers long life—with the other hand, riches and honor. ¹⁷Wisdom will lead you to a life of joy and peace. ¹⁸Wisdom is like a life-giving tree to those who hold on to her; she is a blessing to those who keep her close.

¹⁹With wisdom and understanding, the Lord created the earth and sky. ²⁰With his knowledge, he made the oceans and the clouds that produce rain.

²¹My son, don’t ever let wisdom out of your sight. Hold on to wisdom and careful planning. ²²They will bring you a long life filled with honor. ²³As you go through life, you will always be safe and never fall. ²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you rest, your sleep will be peaceful. ²⁵You have no reason to fear a sudden disaster or the destruction that comes to the wicked. ²⁶You can trust the Lord to protect you. He will not let you fall into harm.” Proverbs 3:13-26 ERV

The book of Proverbs has thirty-one chapters. I like to read one chapter each day and then ask the Lord for wisdom for the day. The book of James tells us when we ask for wisdom the Lord gives it freely.

We can add value to our lives each day when we seek God’s wisdom!

The Apostle Paul was a not only a preacher, but he was also a great writer of encouraging letters, and a man committed to prayer.

This morning, I want to share two of his prayers with you. They are prayers that have stood strong for thousands of years. They are prayers that have the power to change our lives.

I’m praying these prayers for you.

“^…He also told us about the love you have from the Spirit. ⁹Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray:

that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; ¹⁰that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God; ¹¹that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come.

Then you will be happy ¹²and give thanks to the Father. He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. ¹³God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. ¹⁴The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.

¹⁵No one can see God,
    but the Son is exactly like God.
    He rules over everything that has been made.
¹⁶Through his power all things were made:
    things in heaven and on earth, seen and not seen—
all spiritual rulers, lords, powers, and authorities.
    Everything was made through him and for him.

¹⁷The Son was there before anything was made.
    And all things continue because of him.
¹⁸He is the head of the body, which is the church.
    He is the beginning of everything else.
And he is the first among all who will be raised from death.
    So in everything he is most important.

¹⁹God was pleased for all of himself to live in the Son.
²⁰ And through him, God was happy to bring all things back to himself again—
things on earth and things in heaven.
God made peace by using the blood sacrifice of his Son on the cross.

²¹At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him. ²²But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him. ²³And that is what will happen if you continue to believe in the Good News you heard. You must remain strong and sure in your faith. You must not let anything cause you to give up the hope that became yours when you heard the Good News. That same Good News has been told to everyone on earth, and that’s the work that I, Paul, was given to do.” Colossians 1:8-23 ERV

And now add to it this prayer from Ephesians:

“So I bow in prayer before the Father. ¹⁵Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. ¹⁶I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. ¹⁸And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. ¹⁹Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.

²⁰With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. ²¹To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21 ERV

In prayer we tap into God’s power. Through prayer lives change, our lives change, by the power of God.

If you feel awkward and unable to find the “right” words in prayer, pray the ones above. Trust God and His great love. He will give you the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need for each day. His power working in you will be more than you can even imagine.

There is real power in prayer!

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