Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your wisdom through the Bible. We need to seek You with all of our heart, mind and strength. Please help us to trust Your wisdom especially when we can’t see the results. Please help us to remember that the wisdom of men is nothing compared to You.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your Word so we can absolutely know the truth. Please help us to study the truth so we are ready to “tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God”. Your knowledge and wisdom is the only truth and it is worth seeking. As we learn more of the truth we will be readily able to spot the arguments that go against the truth. Please help us; we need Your guidance.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Dear Heavenly Father, there is so much going on in the world around us. We need to stand firm in the faith You have given to us. We need maturity and strength to keep going. Please help us to be motivated by love. We need Your guidance to know how Your love should drive our behavior. We know Your Word is a powerful tool, please help us to read and study it to drive our maturing love.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Jesus teaches us to ask for “daily bread”. We can easily fall into the trap of “leaning on our own understanding” even with something as basic as our needs. Proverbs gives us the wisdom to look to God for direction. We need to cling to Him in everything.
I love the gift of prayer. When we go to God in prayer with the right attitude, God promises to hear us (1 John 5:14). As we study God’s Word, we will find the principles He has given to live as He intends. Our needs will be met.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us to trust and seek You. We need You to direct our lives.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom. These verses follow some of the most famous (trust in the Lord in vs. 5-6). We are told to avoid wisdom according to our own thinking. If we allow God His proper place, we will benefit from it.
It is worth spending time learning God’s wisdom according to the Bible. I hope God’s Word is something that fills your year. You will find this pursuit to be worthwhile.
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for the wisdom You have provided through Your Word. Please help us to read and study the Bible in the year to come. We need Your help.
I pray this in Jesus name.
God is so good.
Those who have trusted in Jesus Christ have the opportunity to grow and mature. I appreciate Paul’s statement in verse 9 that he and Timothy are consistently praying for the believers in Colossae. Pray should be step number one in our spiritual maturity. We should pray to be “filled with the knowledge of His will” for ourselves and others. Then, we need to seek knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding.
The purpose? To “walk worthy of the Lord.” He is worthy to be pleased and we get to grow by “bearing fruit in every good work”. There is no greater purpose.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving the gift of prayer. Please help us to look to the knowledge and wisdom You have given. Please guide us to the greatest purpose of bearing fruit to please You.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
The apostle Paul often opens his letters with thankfulness for the believers to whom he is writing. I like how Paul qualifies that thankfulness in this book. This is because of the love the Colossians had “for all the saints”. John 13:35 tells us that people will know we belong to Jesus by our “love for one another.” This tells us that love for other believers is very important.
Love doesn’t always come easily. We face many challenges. However, God is faithful to increase our love for Him and others through the challenges. He gives us His Spirit and His Word. And He gives us other believers with whom we can wrestle through the difficulties.
Dear Heavenly Father, please give us the wisdom we need to show all men that we are Yours. Guide us to love as You do.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I often quote James 1:5. God has taught me much about prayer, so I have no trouble asking God. I love that He gives “generously to all without reproach”. However, I get a bit stuck at verse 6. I must ask without doubting.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:6-8
I fear that I will mess up God’s wisdom and make some kind of mistake. With that attitude I “must not suppose that I will receive anything from the Lord.” That alone is pretty depressing. However, Matthew 17:30 tells me that I only need faith the size of a mustard seed. The size of my faith isn’t the important part. Trusting that God will keep His promise is the key.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for always keeping Your promises. Please remove my doubt so I can be strengthened by Your wisdom.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Pleading in Prayer 