wisdom is calling you

How generous of You, a Father
to write to us this love letter.
A book of living words encompassing
beginning to end,
creation of life, witness of love,
covenant, correction, salvation and revelation.
Real life tellings of people who lived...
getting it right, getting it wrong,
being used by You all the same,
for Your glory.

And nestled here in the middle
this book written by a king
who in his youth asked for wisdom...
then personified it in writing her as a woman.

Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words...
Proverbs 1:20-21 NKJV

So why not also do the same
for her nemesis... immorality.
Addressing as a father to his son
the dark temptations of life
in a world sold out to lusts of the flesh.

For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of hell.
Lest you ponder her path of life...
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them.
Proverbs 5:3-6

And while many might argue
this to be strictly
a woman of the night, a gypsy of the soul...
if I were to limit my focus on the literal,
I would skim over this warning,
only to miss important life lessons
You may have for me.

A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
Proverbs 1:6

Your word is full of mysteries we must seek...
proverbs, enigmas, words of wise, riddles.
All of them I should take to heart.

Even if one seems a mystery at first,
I will come to You in prayer,
​asking, Spirit, reveal to me this truth...
for I should ponder all of Your word
as understanding... and goodness for my soul.

Let me not be led astray
not in my marriage,
not from my dedication to You...
by any immorality that tempts me.

For this will not be an easily spotted sign.
Rather, slippery words that sneak by
from that mouth smoother than oil.
And I may be quickly and sharply divided
as the two-edged sword does its damage.

Lord, let me be on guard for this,
keep me vigilant, keep me prepared.
Now that I know she is out there...
Immorality so eagerly traps
not just through a person,
but online as well.
Social media,
movies,
music, and
high profile personalities
draw us to her.

We let down our guard
and soon we are off balance
unstable and teetering,
exactly where she wants to take us.

Distracted,
distorted,
disjointed,
dissatisfied,
discouraged.

But You, Lord...
are the lifter of our heads.",
the Savior of our souls.

And that is exactly why
we stick with this day
after day,
after day,
after day.

Reading Your word.

Because we want to be guarded
and on alert.
And when we do fall into sin...
You pick us up again,
and we can still be used for Your glory.

That is why we stay interested...
in this story!

Word of God,
​train me, today...
to never stop reading Your wonderful word,
to listen to the lessons of wisdom and understanding every day.

Thank You, Lord
that there is wisdom
on every page of Your
living and active word.

It is so very good!
It is my daily bread.
It is my living water.
It is my source of life.
It is my anchor.
It is my light.
It is my heart.