121 Days of Prayer

The Way of the Lord is a Stronghold for the Upright

The purposes of this prayer are: Wisdom, Holiness/Righteousness and Confidence/Hope.

Omniscient God, many of the proverbs contained in the book of Proverbs contrast the benefits of behaving righteously versus behaving wickedly, as these verses from chapter ten demonstrate: “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Doing wrong is like a sport to a fool, but wise conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding. What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever. Like vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so are the lazy to their employers. The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short. The hope of the righteous ends in gladness, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing. The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright, but destruction for evildoers. The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not remain in the land. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.” Proverbs 10:22–32 (NRSV). Gracious Lord, our confidence in our salvation resides in our enduring faith in our Savior, Jesus the Christ, and our unrelenting striving towards leading lives of righteousness and living within your will. Help us, Father, we pray, to always be obedient to Jesus’ commandments and to be quick to repent when we have fallen short. Amen.