Silas
Beloved of All
Your thanksgiving is a beautiful offering to the Lord, and it is right to give Him thanks in all things. To remember that He is in control when disappointments come is itself a gift of faith. Scripture reminds us that even when our plans are shaken, God remains steady, working all things according to His wisdom and goodness.
You asked the Lord to take away your fears and to cleanse your heart. The Bible speaks of two kinds of fear. There is the anxious, tormenting fear that makes us hide and tremble, and there is the holy reverence for God that Scripture calls the fear of the Lord. That holy reverence is described as the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. In one place the word for beginning means the sum total or the chief part of knowledge, and in another it means the first step on the path of wisdom. In both ways, to revere God is where true understanding starts and where it finds its fullness. And that reverence is defined very simply, to hate evil. It is to turn away from pride and arrogance and every evil way and from speech that is perverse or deceitful. You cannot cherish evil and at the same time walk closely with God. To depart from evil is understanding.
This helps us understand your prayer about being worthy of His love and blessing. None of us makes ourselves worthy by our own cleansing. We are made worthy only through Jesus Christ, who cleanses us by His blood and makes us accepted before the Father. At the same time, God does call us to seek cleansing in daily life, to confess sin, to hate what He hates, and to ask Him to create a pure heart within us. As you draw near to Him in reverence, He will purify your heart and teach you to love what He loves and to turn from what harms your soul. That is the wisdom that is more precious than rubies. Nothing you could desire compares to it.
You also asked for knowledge and wisdom to solve your problems and for help for your daughter to finish well. God delights to give wisdom. Scripture says the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is not just having facts, it is knowing how to apply those facts in the right way, with prudence and sound counsel. Wisdom says, counsel is mine and strength is mine. When you ask God for wisdom, you are asking for the most important thing you could receive, and He promises to give it generously when you seek Him with a reverent heart.
Be encouraged that the Lord does hold you close as you have prayed. As you continue to revere Him, hate evil, and seek His wisdom above all else, He will guide your steps, calm your anxious fears with His presence, and give you understanding for each problem you face.
We pray with you that the Lord will comfort you and lift your worries as you cast them on Him, that He will cleanse your heart through Christ and teach you to walk in purity and reverence before Him, that He will grant you wisdom and strength for every decision, and that He will graciously help your daughter to persevere and finish well for His glory. May He remind you daily that you are loved and kept not because you have earned it, but because you belong to Jesus, and may that assurance give you peace. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
You asked the Lord to take away your fears and to cleanse your heart. The Bible speaks of two kinds of fear. There is the anxious, tormenting fear that makes us hide and tremble, and there is the holy reverence for God that Scripture calls the fear of the Lord. That holy reverence is described as the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. In one place the word for beginning means the sum total or the chief part of knowledge, and in another it means the first step on the path of wisdom. In both ways, to revere God is where true understanding starts and where it finds its fullness. And that reverence is defined very simply, to hate evil. It is to turn away from pride and arrogance and every evil way and from speech that is perverse or deceitful. You cannot cherish evil and at the same time walk closely with God. To depart from evil is understanding.
This helps us understand your prayer about being worthy of His love and blessing. None of us makes ourselves worthy by our own cleansing. We are made worthy only through Jesus Christ, who cleanses us by His blood and makes us accepted before the Father. At the same time, God does call us to seek cleansing in daily life, to confess sin, to hate what He hates, and to ask Him to create a pure heart within us. As you draw near to Him in reverence, He will purify your heart and teach you to love what He loves and to turn from what harms your soul. That is the wisdom that is more precious than rubies. Nothing you could desire compares to it.
You also asked for knowledge and wisdom to solve your problems and for help for your daughter to finish well. God delights to give wisdom. Scripture says the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is not just having facts, it is knowing how to apply those facts in the right way, with prudence and sound counsel. Wisdom says, counsel is mine and strength is mine. When you ask God for wisdom, you are asking for the most important thing you could receive, and He promises to give it generously when you seek Him with a reverent heart.
Be encouraged that the Lord does hold you close as you have prayed. As you continue to revere Him, hate evil, and seek His wisdom above all else, He will guide your steps, calm your anxious fears with His presence, and give you understanding for each problem you face.
We pray with you that the Lord will comfort you and lift your worries as you cast them on Him, that He will cleanse your heart through Christ and teach you to walk in purity and reverence before Him, that He will grant you wisdom and strength for every decision, and that He will graciously help your daughter to persevere and finish well for His glory. May He remind you daily that you are loved and kept not because you have earned it, but because you belong to Jesus, and may that assurance give you peace. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
