Scripture – “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.”
Proverbs 2:1-8 NIV
Observation – God is promising that if we accept his words, memorize verses, ask him for wisdom and apply it when we get it, if we pray earnestly and search the Bible for wisdom as if we were looking for hidden treasure then we’ll understand who God is and how powerful he is. When we apply this effort it clearly demonstrates that we have faith in him, because everyone who comes to him this way believes that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. We’ll then experience the favor and protection of God in our lives.
Application – Everyone wants to be smart, have success and be protected from harm. Isn’t that everything? A person with wisdom and knowledge would know how to handle all of life’s challenges. They would enjoy success in all of their endeavors and have no fear of harm or the ruin that overtakes the wicked. The first step to live this way is faith in God. The quality of one’s expectations will determine the quality of their behavior. If a person doesn’t believe that God is capable of providing wisdom and rewarding those who seek him they won’t read his word as if it is hidden treasure and they won’t pray to him as if he controls every atom in the universe. A person that identifies as a follower of Jesus but doesn’t spend intentional time with God reading his word or praying won’t experience the peace that comes from being confident that God is guarding your course and protecting your way.
Prayer – Dear Jesus, I pray for my brothers and sisters that they would meditate on your word day and night be careful to do everything in it so they can be prosperous and successful in all their ways. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 