The book of Proverbs Chapter 3

The book of Proverbs 

Chapter 3

ⁱ  My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; ² for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you.

(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 1 to 2)

Oh God, when I place my trust in You I am investing in life, however, when I do not I am investing in a life that is full of stress chaos and disorder. May Your teachings be always before me Amen. may You always be in my heart and in my mind especially during moments of weakness Amen.



³ Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people.

(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 3 to 4)

Amen oh God, my Father I pray that the message of the Good News both Old and New Testaments be engraved on both of the ventricles of my heart and a backup of it in my brain so that I can always live, feel and think about You Amen.



⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 5)




Amen oh God my Father, when we place our full trust in You and not in ourselves our lives will be better. The world will become a better place, for our vision is selfish and biased, and this hinders us from seeing the true reality of our lives and even that of others, therefore our perception is not always correct. I pray that You help us in becoming aware of both our material reality and moreover our spiritual reality Amen.


⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 6)


As much as we have learned to CC or copy our superiors when sending emails in order to keep them informed of our interventions, we are also to keep in contact with You my God and Father, You who are my closest friend and relative. Before You, I come and share both my achievements and my disappointments Amen. Thank You for being so supportive.



⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 7)


Oh God my Father who is full and proud of himself cannot have space for You in one's life, for that person has become the center of one's life. One may think that all actions depend on him or her and all the gained merit and achievements are due to the person and not to You my God and Father. I pray that You help us in healing and controlling of our self Amen.



⁸ It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 8)



Oh God my Father my knowing that You are in control of my life is indeed healing and encouraging for both my body and my soul, for if I think that I am in control one disappointment would leave me depressed and in deep frustration or anger. However today You have taught me to take everything from Your hands even that which I do not agree with Amen, for You foresee the big picture while my vision is limited.



⁹ Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 9 to 10)


Oh brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, when we have a positive attitude of thanksgiving to God my Father all heaven will pour its abundance on us. If there is something that both God and humans appreciate is when that person gives thanks for a positive action. God who is our sole provider appreciates when we give him praise and thanks, I wonder how many of us thank Him for all that he does for us.  I thank You, my God and Father, for both the big things or interventions that You do in my life and even for the smallest that may appear to be trivial and insignificant Amen.


I invite you all to join me in this prayer of thanksgiving by clicking on the following link:-

Prayer of thanksgiving



¹¹ My child, do not despise the LORD'S discipline or be weary of his reproof, ¹² for the LORD reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 11 to 12)



Oh brothers and sisters who may be praying on the bible be aware that when we feel that the circumstances are heavy this is not negative but positive, God may be passing us through a test in order to help us grow on a holistic level, for when our worldly spirit is tested our body and soul also experience growth. God does so because He loves us and in some way is trying to pass a message on to us.


¹³ Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, ¹⁴ for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold.  ¹⁵ She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 13 to 15) 



Oh God my pleasure and satisfaction can only be found in You and not in the ways of the world. I have no greater pleasure than in being with You my God and Father Amen. My greatest wish is to be able to speak verbally with You face to face and be totally in Your presence Amen.



¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. ¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 16 to 17)  



Oh God, my beloved Father, there are some of us, who may desire a long life and many riches and honor. I desire a life in which I can serve You and love You through my relationship with You and others whom You send in my ways Amen. I prefer a short life that finishes in Your presence than a long one that leads me to hell. Amen



¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 18) 



Oh God the image in this verse is that of wisdom, however, there is a greater joy than that of wisdom, this is called the knowledge of You my God and Father, which surpasses all forms of wisdom and knowledge of the world Amen. 



¹⁹ The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; ²⁰ by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 19 to 20) 



Oh God, You created all and nothing happens or is planned on earth without Your knowledge and awareness. Even though we may not be aware of Your presence You are with us every day and during every moment of our life. Amen. Thanks for constantly keeping an eye on me Amen. 



²¹ My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence, ²² and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 21 to 22) 



Oh God, my Father sound wisdom and humility are indeed foundation stones along with love faith and a strong sense of commitment to living according to the ways of God. If one is proud one has no room for God and even for others. I pray oh God my Father that I always have a place for You in my life Amen.  



²³ Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 23) 



Oh God my Father, I know that You are by my side, I pray for healthy doses of Your wisdom and prudence, so that I will feel more secure in my interactions with humanity and with You, Amen. I need Your security my God and Father Amen.



²⁴ If you sit down, you will not be afraid: when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.




(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 24) 



Oh God my Father, how I wish to have this peace of mind and be able to really rest in peace, for right now I am on medication that helps me to calm down and sleep but I feel that it is not working as much as I expect it to work. Amen.


 ²⁵ Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the storm that strikes the wicked; ²⁶ for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verses 25 to 26)


Oh God, my beloved Father I thank You for encouraging me, for at times I tend to panic and be afraid, however, You are with me in all situations and I do not need to worry or be afraid. Amen.


²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 27)



Oh God, my Father help me I pray to have a sense of justice so that I do not deny that which is due to others to be given to them Amen. I pray that You help me to discern who is due from who is not so, that all will receive what is rightly due to them Amen.



²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"-when you have it with you.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 28) 



Oh God, my beloved Father, I pray that You make me more generous. I pray that I am always ready to go out of my way in order to help others Amen. May we remove the condition when giving to others, that makes us wait for something in return for our act of charity. May we donate to the mission with the intention of helping and not with the intention of winning the prize attached to the raffle ticket Amen. 




²⁹ Do not plan harm against your neighbor who lives trustingly beside you.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 29)



Oh God my beloved Father, this is a sensitive area in which I need Your help to grow, for I have received so many stabs in the back from those whom I considered being close to me, that today such situations have made me become a cautious person, who instantly draws up my defenses during moments of stress and anxiety and switch on the defensive. I pray that You help me to be more like You than like me. I may not plan harm, but I plan in order not to be harmed, my God and Father. My most powerful plan is to place my hope and trust in You alone my God and Father.


³⁰ Do not quarrel with anyone without cause, when no harm has been done to you.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 30)


Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that I never am a person who picks a quarrel without cause, however, on the other hand, I do my best to do my work well and cover all the angles, so that nobody can find cause to blame me for my actions Amen. What I do, I do for You my God and Father Amen.


³¹ Do not envy the violent and do not choose any of their ways;


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 31)


Oh God my Father, violence breeds violence and creates a circle of negativity which is not easy to break. I also have moments of anger and frustration. I pray that You calm me down in such situations so that I can experience Your love and the light of reason Amen.


³² for the perverse are an abomination to the LORD, but the upright are in his confidence.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 32)


Oh God, my Father, I pray for Your mercy, for even though I try to be upright in Your sight I still have far to go. I pray for strength and graces so that I can combat my dark side and be glorified by means of Your active presence in me Amen.


³³ The LORD'S curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the abode of the righteous.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 33)


Oh God, my blessed Father, even though I do not consider myself as being totally righteous for I am still a sinner, on the other hand, I do not consider myself as being evil. Therefore I pray for Your blessing on both myself and on the house where I am living Amen. Thank You, Jesus.


³⁴ Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble, he shows favor. ³⁵ The wise will inherit honor, but stubborn fools, disgrace.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 verse 34 to 35)


Oh God, my beloved Father, I pray that You do not behave towards me or others in the same way that as humans we behave towards each other, for we are frail humans and You are far better than us in how You deal with us Amen.


Oh God and Father I would like to end the third chapter of the book of Proverbs with the following prayer:


Oh God, my beloved Father Your wisdom is far greater than that of the world, and so are your love and justice. I pray that the book of Proverbs is a source of enlightenment for both the mind and the soul and acts as a guideline to our way of life Amen.
























 

The Book of Proverbs Chapter 2

The Book of Proverbs 

Chapter 2

1. My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, 2. making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3. if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; 4. if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures- 5. then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

(Book of Proverbs Chapter 2 verses 1 to 5)



Oh God, my Father Your Wisdom goes far beyond the wisdom of the world, because from You flows wisdom itself, and it drops like raindrops on the people of the earth. People may think that they made a new discovery but in truth, they are like babies looking at the sky in order to catch a raindrop in one's hands Amen. May we aim to seek Your treasures oh God my Father than the wisdom and treasures of the earth Amen.



6. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7. he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, 8. guarding the paths of Justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 2 verses 6 to 8)



Oh God, my Father it is true that You are knowledge itself and that You give us knowledge at the right time in every situation especially if we place our trust in You. I thank You for giving me the needed knowledge in the last two interviews, I was amazed how You refreshed my memory and made me remember knowledge and skills that had been passed to me about nine years ago, especially when considering that I had not practised or revised my skills ever since Amen. 



9. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10. for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11. prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you. 12. It will save you from the way of evil, from those who speak perversely, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14. who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil; 15. those whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their way. 16. You will be saved from the loose woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, 17. who forsakes the partner of her youth and forgets her sacred covenant; 18. for her way leads down to death, and her paths to the shades; 19. those who go to her never come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 2 verses 9 to 19)



Oh brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, I pray that You make a personal experience of God in Your life as I did. Until then religion will have meaning, but not relationship. It is like knowing about me because you have heard others talk about me, but still you do not know me as a person.  Since god had talked to me and let me see him in a vision and hear his kind but powerful, voice which almost caused me a heart attack, my life has changed. Even though I still have my weak points and drives and urges which cause me to sin, my awareness of God has greatly increased and even my relationship with Him in prayer and by means of others. Amen. Life has completely changed, because now I am accepting all that happens in my life as it really is, being according to the will of God Amen.



20. Therefore walk in the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just. For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it; 22. but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.



(Book of Proverbs Chapter 2 verses 20 to 22)



Oh God my Father what wise counsel You give us. If we place our trust in You and live according to the good news we have nothing to worry about. We will be totally secure for You are my rock and anybody who places trust in You will obtain salvation Amen.



Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-



Oh God my Father today of all days I commit myself to living according to Your ways. I accept the Bible as being the pathway to You. I hold it as being sacred and true. I pray that You continue to open my heart and mind so that I will be able to understand what You mean to tell me during moments of prayer and will be able to continue sharing these posts with others Amen. Thank You Jesus.

The book of Proverbs Chapter 1

 

The book of Proverbs

Chapter 1

1. The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2. For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, 3. for gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; 4. to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young-5. let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill, 6. to understand a proverb and a figure of the wise and their riddles. 7. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

(The book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 1 to 7)

Oh God, my Father there are such lovers of knowledge such as philosophers who love to seek questions. They tend to be like the doorbell. They ask and listen to many questions but get the minimum of answers. Others make declarations, or hypotheses that are disproved by others and the cycle goes on. However, Your truth and knowledge are totally different from that of the world. As Christians or Roman Catholic we are to show belief in You and Your word before seeking proof of its authenticity. The secret of faith is to believe before seeing results. Human knowledge depends on proof that is substantiated by further proof, however, You and Your proof are absolute and do not need to be proved for us to believe Amen.




8. Hear, my child your father's instruction, and do not reject your mother's teaching; 9. for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.




(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 8 to 9)




Oh God, my Father I greatly appreciate these words of instruction, for although I was subject to emotional abuse throughout my life, I still cherish the moments of good instruction that I received from my parents. Now that I am a parent myself, I try to be of wise counsel to my daughter, however she is still young and does not accept it, for at the age of 8 years old she is still trying to develop her own self and as the psychologists hold, her 'Id' is still stronger than her 'ego'. However ,I still love her and pray for her that one day she will realise how much she means to me, even though at times I nag about her not doing this and that, however, I also try to focus on her good points Amen.




10. My child if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11. If they say, 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us wantonly ambush the innocent; 12. like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like those who go down to the Pit. 13. We shall find all kinds of costly things; we shall fill our houses with booty. 14. Throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse" 15. my child do not walk in their way keep your foot from their paths; 16. for their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed blood. 17. For in vain is the net baited while the bird is looking on;18. yet they lie in wait-to kill themselves and set an ambush-for their own lives 16. Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.




(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 10 to 16)




Oh God I thank You for such wise counsel. The trend is to send someone an e-mail in which many promises are made, or by means of hangouts in the form of a relationship. At first we are persuaded to become friends with the person and then gradually the call to join into a scheme that will make us millionaires is offered in a way that we cannot refuse, thus making us feel guilty if we do so! I pray that we always be aware for many devils are lose and ready to swallow us whole if we give them the opportunity to do so Amen.  




17. For in vain is the net baited while the bird is looking on: 18. yet they lie in wait-to kill themselves! and set an ambush-for their own lives! 19. Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.




(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 17 to 19)




Oh God my Father the evil one is aware of when and where to strike us where we hurt the most, however when humans strike there is always the chance of error and that the traps that they have made for others will be experienced by themselves. I pray oh God that You deliver us from such moments of planning injury to others and to ourselves Amen. May we seek new ways to love, care and support each other instead of seeking to do harm Amen. 



20. Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. 21. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22. "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?




(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 20 to 22)





Oh God my Father, all the time You are active, every day of our lives, You keep on calling upon us to repent and turn away from our ways. Oh God my Father for some reason we prefer to live a limited life based on our personal gains (at least that is what we think) then depend on You and live life to the fullest as according to Your Will. Amen. 




23. Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you.; I will make my words known to you. 24. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, 25. and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, 26. I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, 27. when panic strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.




(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 23 to 27)




Oh God my Father even though the author of the book of proverbs would laugh at our calamity just because we merited it due to our disobedience I feel that You would not laugh but feel sorry for us, for You know how we behave, how stubborn and ignorant we can be even though we are aware of the consequences. Please forgive my God and Father for we do not know what we are doing Amen. 


28. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. 29. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, 30. would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, 31. therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices.


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 28 to 31)


Oh God my Father when we decide to act upon our own ways we are choosing our ways over Your ways, therefore we end up reaping the fruit of our actions instead of reaping the graces planned for us according to Your ways. I pray for Your wisdom so that in all circumstances I be enlightened by Your ways and act according to Your will Amen.




32. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33. but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster."


(Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 verses 32 to 33)


Oh God my Father, You love us so much that You give us a fair warning of the consequences whatever our choice may be. I pray that we base our decision making on Your way instead of ours Amen.



Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-



Oh God my Father, today we are faced with one of the most important questions of our lives. We are to freely make our choice, between You and the world with all its attractions. Oh God this is not an easy choice, for with our lips we say that we choose You above all, however our actions or nature may choose otherwise. I pray that You inflame our intellect and conscience that we may make a decision based on Your will Amen.