I must confess, what began as a passionate zeal to follow through with the Proverbs prayers while the Wisdom Challenge was in progress throughout the month of January, has become a more disciplined task as I follow through on my commitment to work through the whole book of Proverbs. There has been a valid reason for the delayed writings. It was halfway through the challenge that a conversation with my sister led to a word from God to shut off all external voices to just sit with the Holy Spirit and allow him to speak to me through the Word. In my hunger to learn, I sometimes overdose on the opinions and interpretations of others and become overwhelmed by the volume and oft times contradictory views expressed. At the same time, as part of my course work with School of Faith, a module on Hearing God’s Voice plunged me into a whole new world of sitting with and learning to trust Spirit to lead and speak to me. Learning to “Be Still” and wait…training my body and mind to quiet down, to read my Bible with an expectation of Holy Spirit highlighting something to me in the moment…. An encouragement, a correction, a word of wisdom or even just an “aha” moment, seeing things I have read before but not noticed or comprehended.
So it is, I submit Proverbs chapter 7, with words from Bill Johnson intertwined, having been interviewed for the Challenge. I am always deeply inspired by his depth of insight, interpretation and wisdom and hope to weave that through this encounter with you today.
In the Passion Translation, Chapter 7 is titled, “Wisdom, Your True Love”. Solomon, in speaking to his son in this letter, advises him to listen well, follow his advice, guard his life with the truth of his words so that he will live well. He uses evocative words such as treasure, cherish, and precious to describe his instruction, wanting to convey an intimacy of relationship with wisdom…an entity to hold close to heart…an inseparable unity that will provide protection in how he conducts his life.
It is in this spirit I compose this prayer, praying it inspires you to read and repeat in prayer, God’s Word back to Him as an expression of your love for Him. This is how it is expressed to you and its intention to speak to your heart.
PRAYER:
Loving Father, Your Word is clear on how to protect ourselves from harm, deceit, and temptation. Your commandments, Your instructions and advice through Your chosen prophets and people, is written here for us to heed and follow….to hold in our hearts. Your truth is revealed in the pages of Your Word, direct from Your mouth and heart of love for us in order to guard us. I am beginning to understand just how precious it is, expressed here in Proverbs 7:2 as being “as precious as my eyesight”.
According to Solomon, we are encouraged to treat Wisdom and understanding as lovers of our souls ..so close as to be our sister…in a relationship of sharing and intimacy, someone with whom we share our deepest emotions and who will be bold in her honesty with us …and so I pray we are never separated from them as they are our protectors. It is in their wise counsel and sound warnings I will be kept from all temptations. “Wisdom is the one thing to aspire to… to acquire. It enables us to reign in life, and to be who You called us to be. The warning based on this Scripture was to not intentionally expose ourselves to temptation and not to push the limits of grace on our lives, opening up vulnerability to weakness.”
Solomon uses the imagery of a seductress weaving her amorous plans to entrap a young man. Lord, she represents every temptation that confronts us, and so easily we can be led astray…so subtle is temptation’s calling, with little thought to the overall consequences and long-term damage.
David placed himself in temptations way by not doing what He was meant to be doing. He should have been at war…he was not fulfilling his assignment and so instead found himself vulnerable to lust for another man’s wife. “When we are not in the battle we were designed for, we end up in battles we have no grace for”.
Once seduced into the path, we can be carried ever deeper and find ourselves justifying our actions to cover our guilt. So beguiling are the seductress’ promises and convincing in the purity of her intentions towards us. At times, her seduction is so sophisticated that we have no clue as to depth of depravity and ill-will we have brought on ourselves.
Teach me to be aware, alert, and on guard against her calls and promises as she has no concern for my soul or love for me…. just my destruction.
Lord, help me to know my weaknesses and points of vulnerability so I can be vigilant against temptations in those areas of my life. Give me strength to say yes to the right things, leaving nothing left to other excesses. I give myself over to You in full surrender with no agenda. Direct me to follow my heart, being active doing something that You can redirect if necessary or empower me to continue in Your “Yes and Amen,” trusting in Your ability to guide me rather than my tendency to fail. Give me a heart to co-Labour with You, trusting that the passions and desires I have, are placed within me by You and so I can move ahead in the assurance that I have the mind of Christ. Empower me with the confidence that if my dreams are rooted in love then I need not wait for permission to move on them, trusting in Your redirection if needed. Make me a risk taker for You.
God, give us clarity and peace of heart and mind. Enable us, with faith, to pursue all that was lost and grant us a gift of courage and hope to believe all will be restored to us. Amen
Italicised words: Bill Johnson interview for Wisdom Challenge. Interviewed by Pedro Adeo of 100XChallenge
Photo: Naomi Roorda
Editing: Anne Mellor