I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read: Proverbs Chapter 8
Reflect:
Proverbs 8:1-4
Wisdom is personified as a bold woman. We’ve become familiar with her over these first few proverbs. Lady Wisdom is not some secret and hidden woman that only a select few can ever know. It’s just the opposite. She calls out for all people to walk the path of life. Here she’s not standing in the background or hiding in the shadows, no, she’s boldly standing in the public square! Lady Wisdom wants her voice to be heard. She takes up her position at the highest point, at the crossroads, she stands beside the city gate where people gather, and she shouts out loudly. What is she shouting? An invitation to all people, especially two groups of people who need her help badly, the inexperienced and the fool. These are not like the mocker or the evil person who has rejected and turned from her, but rather a naive person, usually young, who is still uncommitted. What is it she’s offering? Life! She’s offering wisdom and understanding about how best to live the life God has given. She’s freely offering to teach prudence so people can avoid the pitfalls of life. Her call is the same for all generations, and it goes out to us as well. The question for us is this: will we heed her call?
Use your imagination to picture the scene depicted in the proverb. Think about moving through the city gate with all the hustle and bustle of morning traffic. So much is going on, so much is calling out to you, and so many different things are bidding for your attention. You just want to get on with your day, you don’t need something else to distract you. But then, there she is, this woman shouting out boldly! You can’t help but notice her. What she’s saying makes sense. It makes you think of the emptiness you’ve found in all the other things you’ve chased after—you see them for what they are, empty. And at that moment, all you can hear is her. All the noise and commotion of the activity has stopped. What she says drowns out everything else. For once, you feel like you see clearly. You see the beauty in what she is saying. And as quickly as her words came to you, all the activity, noise, and commotion come rushing back in. But something is different now. As you move forward, you can’t get Lady Wisdom’s words out of your mind. Will you allow the world around you to drown them out, or will you work to keep wisdom and knowledge at the forefront of your mind?
Respond:
Decide today to let wisdom guide you. Ask God if there is any wisdom he wants you to acquire or foolishness he wants you to lose. Remember that wisdom does not come easily or cheaply, but it does come to those who seek it. Will you seek after it today?
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.