Guarded By God’s Wisdom
Wednesday’s Verse:
From Proverbs 2:11 ESV
“Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.”
We enjoy feeling safe and protected. But when we think of safety, we generally envision strength or speed or control. Proverbs directs us to another means of protection. God promises to keep us safe by way of discretion and understanding. Not might. Not intellect. Wisdom.
Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, according to Lutheran theology. Fear of the Lord means placing our trust in His Word over our instincts. On our own we favor what feels good. Or what looks righteous in the present. Sin deceives our judgment. We don’t just need more information. We need a new mind.
God grants us that through His Word. He instructs our hearts to know which direction brings life and which only causes destruction. Discretion protects us by causing us to pause. Understanding keeps us safe by shaping our decisions before temptation even whispers.
Wisdom is not something we can work for. It’s something we’re given. Christ is our wisdom. He maintained perfect discretion where we cannot. He walked in perfect understanding of His Father’s plans. And on His cross, Jesus paid for our foolish mistakes and gave us His perfect life.
When difficult decisions come your way today, big or small, don’t lean too heavily on your instincts. Return to Scripture. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom. Know that our Lord is protecting you. Not just from the dangers around you but from the sin inside you.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord God, let me be wise in Your ways. Protect my heart and mind through Your Word. When I want to trust in myself, remind me to trust You. For You are my wisdom and my righteousness through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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