American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 105
ARC Prayer Meeting: 6/17/26
This past Sunday at the American Reformation Church, we were back in the book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom. One can gain wisdom by reading, meditating, and studying all of God’s Word, but God saw fit to set apart one book of the Bible specifically dedicated to His wisdom. There are others contained in what is called the wisdom literature of the Bible, such as Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, but Proverbs is the main one.
We focused our attention on Proverbs 2:1-5. In these verses, there is a direct mention of the importance of earnest prayer when it comes to obtaining the high prize of God’s wisdom. Specifically, “Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding” (Proverbs 2:3). Here we see that study alone is not sufficient to obtain the treasure of God’s wisdom. Prayer is certainly one element.
Most Christian men I know, including me, love the manly pursuit of studying the Scriptures to be approved by God by rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). It takes a much more conscious effort to calm our minds, and temper our busyness to develop the discipline to pray. Once achieved, however, prayer can turn to delight.
There is a powerful connection between the book of Proverbs and the Epistle of James in the New Testament. James draws heavily from Proverbs to challenge and inspire the early church. He also believed there was a direction connection between prayer and obtaining God’s wisdom. James stated, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
Clearly, prayer is one essential step among others to achieve the “THEN,” “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5). but without it, the process is incomplete. The seeker can and should receive God’s words, treasure His commands, incline his ear, apply the heart, and seek wisdom like hidden treasure. But it is the moment of prayer where the seeker turns from self-effort to divine help.
Prayer, in this sense, is the fuel that keeps us digging to mine God’s wisdom. In Sunday’s message, we looked at Job’s insightful questions, “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding” (Job 28:12)? He was troubled that it was hidden from the eyes of all the living. Job concludes it is only God that can reveal to man the hidden treasures of His wisdom, “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding’” (Job 28:28).
Praying for God’s wisdom reveals a humble acknowledgment that wisdom cannot be attained merely by human intelligence or effort alone. We know this is certainly true when it comes to Solomon, the main author of Proverbs. It is also true when it came to the plight of Daniel. If you recall, his life was put in danger due to the urgency of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel sought God in prayer to understand this mysterious dream and its implications. Daniel is heard and concludes, “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand” (Daniel 2:22, 23).
Praying for wisdom is good, but ultimately, it is to know our Lord more intimately in order to be conformed into the image of His Son. The divine purpose is to become a more loving, dutiful child of the Most High God in Jesus’ name!
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