Proverbs 2 - 1.2.25

S -  Proverbs 2:1-8  

1 My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

O – Proverbs begins with a clear statement of its purpose - to impart wisdom for godly living. The first few chapters are Solomen’s fatherly advice to young people. However, this is also where anyone can discover the source of wisdom, the value of wisdom and the benefits of wisdom. Wisdom is a complex psychological quality that involves using knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments. It’s more than a collection of information, but rather the ability to USE that information to improve well-being. Wisdom is a God-given gift, as well as the result of an energetic search. Wisdom’s starting point IS GOD and His revealed Word. God’s wisdom is hidden from the foolish and rebellious, so it takes effort to find it and use it. When we are on the right path, we discover that true wisdom is God’s and that He will guide us and reward our sincere and persistent search.  We gain wisdom through a constant process of growing. It doesn’t come upon us all at once. We need to trust and honor God, know that the Bible reveals His wisdom to us, and study His Word! We need to strive to make a lifelong series of right choices, learning from our sinful or mistaken choices along the way.

A – Life is certainly a JOURNEY! I look back at where I came from, who I was, the things I was doing, and I am ALWAYS so grateful God picked me up out of that mess and began to work in, and through my life. I can look back and actually see the wisdom He has imparted on me over the years. I am always still a work in progress, but His wisdom has changed the trajectory of my life forever and it is good. We should always be seeking HIS wisdom in everything we do, and in every decision. Rich and I have had a couple of years of seeking wisdom and discernment for a very specific area in our lives. God has been walking us through this one step at a time (His time not ours LOL) and I can honestly say we have been ENERGETICALLY seeking Him and His wisdom. We have grown so much in our walk with Him over these past two years and I attribute that all to Him revealing Himself to us through the ongoing seeking of His wisdom in our lives. As we were wrapping up these last couple days of the year, He literally just hit us with some knowledge, peace, healing and discernment in a big way! These scriptures are promises from God and what I am actively doing now:

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding…

Side note - my son had to go to Urgent Care on Monday, almost needing a wheelchair to get in from the car due to pain, and he was healed without any medical intervention before we left the building! In addition, we saw a sweet friend who was there feeling very ill and got to put him on the prayer chain immediately. Feel free to ask me for more details.

As we begin 2025, our family has no doubts that God is with us, imparting His wisdom in us for big decisions and we feel so much peace and joy! And gratitude!

P  - Lord, I pray that we, as a church family, will begin 2025 and our 28-days of prayer and fasting earnestly, energetically seeking you for wisdom in all areas of our lives! For marriages, finances, healings, to know who to speak to, when to speak to them, and what to speak into their lives; wisdom for where you want to use us, for what ministries to get involved in. Wisdom to trust you with our tithes and offerings, our health, our families. May we do nothing on our own this year, without asking you for wisdom first! Amen!

- Crystal Flory