Opening Prayer
God, give us true wisdom. Amen.
Text: Proverbs 8:10-17
Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.”
Devotion
Shouldn’t we love wisdom and pursue it? James even says: “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” (Jam 1:5). A wonderful promise! Indeed, we want to go after wisdom as after silver and dig for it like hidden treasure (Mat 13:44). “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.” Long life is in her right hand, riches and honor in her left. Her ways are living ways, and all her paths are peace. She is the tree of life for those who reach her, and everyone who holds on to her is happy.
If you want to honor God and benefit mankind, if you want to walk in the light like the children of light, if you want to be blessed yourself and to be a blessing to others, then seek wisdom from the Lord. The following four things will help: 1) Consider how deeply you need it if you are to fulfill your calling as father, mother, teacher, ruler, employer, employee, or whatever God has appointed you. Woe to those who walk blindly! Woe to the fool who fumbles and doesn’t know what he is doing! The natural man is blind to the Lord’s ways (1Co 2:14). 2) Pray earnestly, persistently, and in faith. Hold on to God’s promise and remind Him of it. “He gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Pro 2:6). 3) Live according to your Catechism, and follow God’s Word in everything, as far as you know how. Take heed to yourself that you walk in the paths of the Lord’s commands. And finally, 4) meditate on the Word diligently, and ponder it in your heart. Consider it, commit it to memory, as far as possible do not let a day go by without enriching your soul with a new passage of Scripture. Follow these rules, neglect none of them, and the fear of God and the heavenly wisdom will fill your soul. For you become poor in spirit, – and “Christ has become wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1Co 1:30).
Closing Prayer
God, help us to turn our eyes toward wisdom and to apply our hearts to understanding that we may understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Amen.
Hymn
O Light of God, with all my mind
I cry to You: Now enter in!
You see my hope and all my fears,
My sorrow and my bitter tears,
O enter now my soul to give
Divine refreshment, that I live.
You know full well how cold I am,
How filled with sin’s desire I am;
Sunshine Divine, break forth within
My heart and let Your light begin
My sin to conquer and remove
That I may live Your holy love.
Kingo: Klar op, mit Hjerte, Sjæl, og Sind L 428:5-6 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Vater unser (ELH 383); alternate hymn: Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go ELH 506