Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this request and for wanting to seek the Lord with a sincere heart for wisdom. Your desire to be filled with wisdom and spiritual understanding is exactly where God wants you to be, and it is right to bring every area before Him in prayer and fasting.
Scripture teaches that wisdom is the principal thing. It is more valuable than riches or anything else we might desire, and it will preserve and keep the one who loves it. The beginning of that wisdom is the fear of the Lord, a humble reverence that acknowledges His right to lead and direct your life. True wisdom is not just information or knowledge. Knowledge gives facts, but wisdom knows how to apply them rightly. That wisdom is ultimately found in Jesus Christ Himself, for in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When you seek wisdom, you are seeking to know Christ more and to walk in His ways.
That is why the prayer in Colossians 1 is so fitting for you. Paul prayed that believers would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so they might walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. That is our prayer for you, that God would fill you with that kind of wisdom for each decision you face, for your health, for your time with your son, for the possibility of a move and the setup of a nonprofit, and for effective ministry to the Lord, to fellow believers, and to those who do not yet know Him. God promises to give wisdom freely to all who ask Him, without reproach. You can come to Him simply and ask, trusting that He will answer.
You also mentioned a season of fasting according to Isaiah 58. That passage reminds us that the fast God chooses is not only abstaining from food, but a humbling of the heart that leads to loosing bonds of wickedness, sharing with the hungry, and caring for those in need. When His people seek Him in that spirit, He promises that light will break forth, that healing will spring up, that He will guide continually and satisfy and strengthen. As you set aside time for prayer and fasting, ask the Lord to make it that kind of fast, one that draws you closer to Him and aligns your heart with His compassion and righteousness. His guidance and renewal are tied to that humble seeking.
For your health we join you in remembering Psalm 103, which calls us to not forget all His benefits, who forgives all our iniquities and heals our diseases, who redeems life from destruction and renews strength. Bring your body before Him as well. At the same time, Scripture reminds us that bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise for this life and the life to come. It is good to care for the body He has given you and to be disciplined in exercise, but keep it in its proper place, letting your first pursuit be godliness, knowing that a walk with the Lord will profit you far beyond physical strength.
For the practical decisions before you, ask the Lord for prudence and understanding. Wisdom dwelling with prudence teaches us to make careful, righteous choices and not to be led by impulse or by the wisdom of this world. The wisdom of this world is earthly and comes to nothing, and it often leads to envy and strife. The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, and bears good fruit. As you consider a move, work responsibilities, and ministry opportunities, ask God to show you the path of wisdom that leads to purity, peace, and faithfulness.
You also asked for protection from temptation, deception, lies, fear, and the evil one. Temptation itself is common to all people and is not sin. Even Jesus was tempted. Sin comes when we yield to the desire of the flesh and turn aside from God's path. Temptation often whispers that we can have immediate fulfillment if we step off God's way. God allows testing to prove and strengthen faith, and that testing, when endured with Him, works patience. We pray with you as Jesus taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, and as He prayed in John 17, that the Father would keep you from the evil one. The Lord is faithful to guard you and to provide a way of escape so you can stand.
We pray for you now. Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask that You fill our brother with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Grant a special grace for this season of prayer and fasting, and let it be according to Your heart. Bring healing and renewal to his body, guide every decision regarding his son, his work and possible move, and the ministry You have entrusted to him. Lead him in the path of wisdom and keep him from deception and temptation. Deliver him from the evil one and from every lie and fear, and establish him to walk worthy of You, bearing fruit and growing in Your knowledge. We trust You to preserve and keep him as he seeks You. Amen.
Scripture teaches that wisdom is the principal thing. It is more valuable than riches or anything else we might desire, and it will preserve and keep the one who loves it. The beginning of that wisdom is the fear of the Lord, a humble reverence that acknowledges His right to lead and direct your life. True wisdom is not just information or knowledge. Knowledge gives facts, but wisdom knows how to apply them rightly. That wisdom is ultimately found in Jesus Christ Himself, for in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When you seek wisdom, you are seeking to know Christ more and to walk in His ways.
That is why the prayer in Colossians 1 is so fitting for you. Paul prayed that believers would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so they might walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. That is our prayer for you, that God would fill you with that kind of wisdom for each decision you face, for your health, for your time with your son, for the possibility of a move and the setup of a nonprofit, and for effective ministry to the Lord, to fellow believers, and to those who do not yet know Him. God promises to give wisdom freely to all who ask Him, without reproach. You can come to Him simply and ask, trusting that He will answer.
You also mentioned a season of fasting according to Isaiah 58. That passage reminds us that the fast God chooses is not only abstaining from food, but a humbling of the heart that leads to loosing bonds of wickedness, sharing with the hungry, and caring for those in need. When His people seek Him in that spirit, He promises that light will break forth, that healing will spring up, that He will guide continually and satisfy and strengthen. As you set aside time for prayer and fasting, ask the Lord to make it that kind of fast, one that draws you closer to Him and aligns your heart with His compassion and righteousness. His guidance and renewal are tied to that humble seeking.
For your health we join you in remembering Psalm 103, which calls us to not forget all His benefits, who forgives all our iniquities and heals our diseases, who redeems life from destruction and renews strength. Bring your body before Him as well. At the same time, Scripture reminds us that bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise for this life and the life to come. It is good to care for the body He has given you and to be disciplined in exercise, but keep it in its proper place, letting your first pursuit be godliness, knowing that a walk with the Lord will profit you far beyond physical strength.
For the practical decisions before you, ask the Lord for prudence and understanding. Wisdom dwelling with prudence teaches us to make careful, righteous choices and not to be led by impulse or by the wisdom of this world. The wisdom of this world is earthly and comes to nothing, and it often leads to envy and strife. The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, and bears good fruit. As you consider a move, work responsibilities, and ministry opportunities, ask God to show you the path of wisdom that leads to purity, peace, and faithfulness.
You also asked for protection from temptation, deception, lies, fear, and the evil one. Temptation itself is common to all people and is not sin. Even Jesus was tempted. Sin comes when we yield to the desire of the flesh and turn aside from God's path. Temptation often whispers that we can have immediate fulfillment if we step off God's way. God allows testing to prove and strengthen faith, and that testing, when endured with Him, works patience. We pray with you as Jesus taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, and as He prayed in John 17, that the Father would keep you from the evil one. The Lord is faithful to guard you and to provide a way of escape so you can stand.
We pray for you now. Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask that You fill our brother with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Grant a special grace for this season of prayer and fasting, and let it be according to Your heart. Bring healing and renewal to his body, guide every decision regarding his son, his work and possible move, and the ministry You have entrusted to him. Lead him in the path of wisdom and keep him from deception and temptation. Deliver him from the evil one and from every lie and fear, and establish him to walk worthy of You, bearing fruit and growing in Your knowledge. We trust You to preserve and keep him as he seeks You. Amen.
