The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 of 19 (To update)

The Book of Wisdom 

Chapter 

6

¹ Listen therefore O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 1)

Oh God my Father if kings are to listen and judges are to understand I am to obey and be humble Amen.


² Give ear, you that rule over multitudes, and boast of many nations.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 2)


Whether we are great or small, rich or poor educated or not, we are to keep our ears open to listen to Your voice my God and Father. The more humble we are the greater and active listeners we may become Amen. The more we are centred on ourselves, the less we listen to others Amen.


³ For your dominion was given you from the Lord, and your sovereignty from the Most High; he will search out your works and inquire into your plans.



(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 3)


Oh God my Father I invite You to evaluate and judge my plans and my motives and show me where and when I am in error so that my life will be according to Your will Amen.


⁴ Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly or keep the law, or walk according to the purpose of God, ⁵ he will come upon you terribly and swiftly, because severe judgment falls on those in high places.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verses 4 to 5)


Oh brothers and sisters, the greater we are the greater our responsibility and our accountability to both our neighbours and to God. The more talents that God has given us, the higher His expectation s expected from us. Amen.


⁶ For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy, but the mighty will be mightily tested.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 6)


Oh God my Father Your judgment is both wise and just manifesting itself justly according to our misgivings without having a bias toward nobody Amen.


⁷ For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone, or show deference to greatness: because he himself made both small and great and he takes thought for all alike.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 7)


Oh God my Father for You there is no partiality between rich and poor, strong or weak, however, You prefer us to be humble and not proud for the proud are full of themselves and have no space for You in their hearts and mind Amen.


⁸ But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 8)


Oh God my Father the more responsibility that You have given us the more, you expect from us. I pray that You help me to live up to that which is expected of me both as a Christian and both as a Social Worker Amen.


⁹ To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed, so that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 9)


Oh God my Father in truth those who follow You and Your wise are the wise people and not those who simply follow the principles and laws of science and philosophy. Your Word is the way the truth and the pathway to salvation Amen.


¹⁰ For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness, and those who have been taught them will find a defense.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 10)


Every time I join You in prayer my God and Father I experience spiritual growth. I pray that when I am on the battlefield of life, with Your help I give witness and even help others to grow in their relationship with You. You are my spirit and bodyguard. You defend me all the time Amen.


¹¹ Therefore set your desire on my words; long for them, and you will be instructed.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 11)


Oh God my Father You are my desire. My one desire is to be united with You after having lived this life of on earth. You are my goal and my desire, and all that I do I do for You my God and Father Amen.

¹² Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found

by those who seek her.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 12)


Oh God my Father I thank You for making yourself known to me. Thanks for Your wisdom, for it is totally different from the wisdom of the world and is of a greater value Amen.

¹³ She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 13)

Oh God my Father, wisdom is like You it does not force itself on anybody but let's us make the choice if we want to grow or not Amen.

¹⁴ One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty; for she will be found sitting at the gate.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verse 14)

Oh God my Father I am thirsty to know Your will and I am hungry for Your Word. Every morning and every evening (almost) I refer to scripture on which I reflect in order to renew my soul and make a new experience of You Amen. I wish to grow in Your Spirit my loving and caring Father Amen.

¹⁵ To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding; and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, ¹⁶ because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verses 15 to 16)

Oh God my Father this is how I wish my life to be, that is united with You in both thoughts and actions Amen. Thank You Jesus.

¹⁷ The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, ¹⁸ and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, ¹⁹ and immotrality brings one near to God; ²⁰ so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 6 verses 17 to 20)

Oh God I pray that You keep me in a state of humility and emptiness, thus making me vulnerable to the need of making me open to knowledge and experience of You in my heart. Every day in my relationship with You or better Yours with mine is a new experience. I thank You for this relationship my God and Father.

The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 of 19

The Book of Wisdom 

Chapter 

5

¹ Then the righteous will stand with great confidence in the presence of those who have oppressed them and those who make light of their labours.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 1)

Oh God, my Father, throughout the course of a lifetime I have experienced situations when what I did was never experienced to the extreme that what I did with a lot of effort was considered as trivial and of no significance whatsoever, however, there will come the time, when You bring to light such moments of oppression and Your justice will prevail Amen.


² When the unrighteous see them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear, and they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 2)


Oh God, my Father if we are the type who is quick to judge others we are in for a surprise when we appear before You. For those people whom we may have judged as being hardened sinners may enter heaven and we may not. There would be a lot of gnashing of teeth from our side Amen.


³ They will speak to one another in repentance and in anguish of spirit, they will groan, and say, ⁴ "These are persons whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach-fools that we were! We thought that their lives were madness and that their end was without honour.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verses 3 to 4) 


Oh God, my Father, presently I am the subject of much discourse. I have become unpopular and subject of much criticism. However, people such as You know my real self and can speak in an objective way about me because You know me as I am Amen. Thank You, Jesus. 


⁵ Why have they been numbered among the children of God? And why is their lot among the saints?


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 5) 



Oh God, my Father, brothers and sisters our judgment is not always according to Your will. The time will come when we will those people whom we judged as being Muslim, Isis, non-believers, entering the doors of heaven and we may be watching from a distance. What a shock this would be for us. Therefore let us stop judging others and start loving them Amen.


⁶ So it was we who strayed from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine on us, and the sun did not rise upon us.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 6)


Oh, brothers and sisters let us admit our guilt before the almighty God. Yes, we are guilty of not always living according to Your ways. We are weak and prone to sin. At times we permit our brains to take the best side of us and turn it into our worst. I pray for forgiveness oh God my Father Amen. 


⁷ We took our fill of the path of lawlessness and destruction, and we journeyed through trackless deserts, but the way of the Lord we have not known.



(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 7)



Oh God my Father, we are all sinners, at some point or other we all travelled on the forbidden territory of sin and anguish, we have all made bad choices in favour of the flesh instead of the spirit. I pray for forgiveness, my God and Father Amen.


⁸ What has our arrogance profited us? And what good has our boasted wealth brought us? ⁹ ⁹" All those things have vanished like a shadow, and like a rumour that passes by; ¹⁰ like a ship that sails through billowy water, and when it has passed no trace can be found no track of its keel in the waves;



(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verses 8 to 10)



What good has riches and pride? Their fruit is of the world and not of heaven. They are a necessary means that have their value, but they are not to be given more than necessary value Amen. I am also to remember that which is of the earth passes by but that which is of God will remain forever Amen.



¹¹ or as, when a bird flies through the air no evidence of its passage is found; the light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions and pierced by the force of its rushing flight is traversed by the movement of its wings and afterwards no sign of its coming is found there; ¹² or as, when an arrow is shot at a target, the air, thus divided, comes together at once so that no one knows its pathway.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verses 11 to 12)


Oh God, my Father in truth we can compare You to the wind or to the dynamics of the arrow, for we never know exactly where You happen to be or what You are doing. All I know is that You and Your presence are with me all the time Amen.


¹³ So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be, and we had no sign of virtue to show, but were consumed in our wickedness."


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 13)


Oh God, my Father, on being born our natural selves takes control of us thus making us totally of the flesh until we grow up and start developing. Then the power of the Holy Spirit tends to try to communicate with us by means of our conscience and on making a gradual renunciation of ourselves to God we put on our spiritual selves and become true images of You my God and Father Amen.


¹⁴Because the hope of the ungodly is like thistledown carried by the wind, and like a light frost driven away by a storm; it is dispersed like smoke before the wind, and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 14)


Oh, brothers and sisters, I beg you to place your trust in God and not in humans who are prone to sin and change. Today you have friends, tomorrow you become a stranger. However, God is always faithful and there for us, whenever we decide to turn back to Him Amen.


¹⁵ But the righteous live forever, and their reward is with the Lord; the Most High takes care of them. 


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 15)


Oh God, my Father, even though I do not consider myself as being a totally righteous person for I am still prone and tempted by sin I wish that You will be my reward when my time comes Amen. Thank You, Jesus.


¹⁶ Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover them, and with his arm, he will shield them.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verse 16)


Oh God, my Father, I thank You for protecting me from the forces of evil that are everywhere I go. I thank You for being my fortress during times of stress and a loving Father especially when I need Your delicate support Amen.


¹⁷ The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armour, and will arm all creation to repel his enemies; ¹⁸ he will put on his righteousness as a breastplate, and wear impartial justice as a helmet; ¹⁹ he will take holiness as an invincible shield, ²⁰ and sharpen stern wrath for a sword, and creation will join with him to fight against his frenzied foes.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verses 17 to 20)


Oh, brothers and sisters, we are not to fear the enemy for God Himself has given us full protection against evil and his evil spirits. I pray that we remain firm in prayer and praise and in the sacraments because they are our firewall and updates to reinforce our protection Amen.


²¹ Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim, and will leap from the clouds to the target, as from a well-drawn bow, ²² and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult; the water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them; ²³ a mighty wind will rise against them, and like a tempest, it will winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth, and evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 5 verses 21 to 23)


Oh God, my Father, we are already experiencing this wrath by means of fires that are leaving a pathway of destruction and even the destructive hailstones. I never realized that this could be an onslaught controlled by the evil ones. However, You are the King of Kings who is able to reverse the course of nature to a positive one bringing peace and serenity Amen.


Oh God, my beloved Father, I would like to end this meditation on the fifth chapter of the book of Wisdom with the following prayer:-


Oh God, my Father bless us with Your wisdom for by ourselves left to our own devices we end up making wrong decisions that have a negative both on ourselves but even on the lives of others. I pray that You protect us from the onslaught of the evil spirits that experience pleasure in our moments of discomfort and pain Amen. Thank You, Jesus.

The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4

The Book of Wisdom 

Chapter 

4

¹ Better than this is childlessness with virtue, for in the memory of virtue is immortality, because it is known both by God and by mortals.

(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 1)

Oh God my blessed Father, it is more of value for me to be remembered for my spiritual life, that is if someone sees and finds anything of benefit in it, rather than for the material works that I would have done in a lifetime. I prefer to be known and familiar with You more than with others Amen.


² When it is present, people imitate it, and they long for it when it has gone; throughout all time it marches, crowned in triumph, victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 2)


Oh God my beloved Father, Your wisdom is always present, because You are always present, however as humans, we are not always aware of Your presence, or moreover, we may not always believe that Your wisdom is present. We may be led to think that our wisdom and intelligence is totally human and not the fruit of Your presence that dwells in us. We may think that all our accomplishments are ours and we may not be grateful to You for them. In name of all humanity, I give my thanks to my God and Father Amen.


³ But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use, and none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root or take a firm hold. 


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 3)



Oh God my Father, even though evil may try to overcome us and make its dwelling inside of me, Your spirit is far greater and is able to weaken and destroy such a hold. I pray for liberation from any root or traces of evil in Your mighty name Amen.


⁴ For even if they put forth boughs for a while, standing insecurely they will be shaken by the wind, and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 4)


Oh God my beloved Father, even though at times we may feel secure enough to depend on our own resources, in due course we may realize that our resources are bound to a limit and then we will start feeling insecure and gradually our plans start coming to an end one after the other, however, if we trust in You our hope is never at a loss for we are trusting in the infinite and not in the worldly and finite Amen.


⁵ The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity, and their fruit be useless not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 5)


Oh God, my beloved Father, I pray that I will always find my strength being part of the tree and never end up drying up as in being broken off Amen. 


⁶ For children born of unlawful unions are witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 6)


Oh God my Father as You once told us, every tree is judged according to the fruit that it bears and in this case this is applicable. I pray that when my daughter grows up she will inherit my good traits and with the individual gifts that You gave her she will grow up to be even more mature and fully developed both in mind faith and also in spirit Amen.


⁷ But the righteous, though they die early will be at rest. ⁸ For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years; ⁹ but understanding is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old age.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verses 7 to 9)


As You are telling me my God and Father of wisdom and all righteousness, it is not the length of our life that counts but the quality of that life, in the sense of how our life was, if it was based on righteousness or evil. If a person dies in peace his soul will rest in peace even if one dies at an early age, however, if one dies in a state of evil, one's soul may encounter periods of hell and distress both on earth and even on dying. The soul may take a long time to find its rest. Amen.


¹⁰ There were some who pleased God and were loved by him, and while living among sinners were taken up.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 10) 


Oh God my Father, even though I am still a sinner by nature, I pray that one day You will take me and save me from that moment when I may be tainted by the sins of the world Amen. I pray that You save me from such moments Amen. 


¹¹ They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding or guile deceive their souls.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 11)  


Oh God my beloved Father, it would be better for me to die than to end up stained beyond repair by the forces of evil. I pray that You spare me from such moments oh God my Father Amen. 


¹² For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and the roving desire perverts the innocent mind.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 12)   



Oh God my Father the strength of the temptation of the evil one is so strong, working on our emotions thoughts and desires that many times it requires Your divine intervention for us to actually say "NO! to temptation Amen. I pray that You continue to be by our sides especially during moments of evil and weakness Amen. 


¹³ Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years;



(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 13) 



On receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit our natural resources are perfected into those of the supernatural which pertain to You. I trust myself in Your hands so that You can use me in any way You desire my God and Father Amen.



¹⁴ for their souls were pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took them quickly from the midst of wickedness.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 14)  



Many times we wonder oh God my Father how that person died at the age of 12 or even younger. What we may not be aware of is that many times You call us to come back to our heavenly home before our souls become tainted by sin. On the other hand, there are those who live a long life by which You use them to be positive signposts to people such as myself in order for us to live a more positive and better life Amen.


¹⁵ Yet the peoples saw and did not understand, or take such a thing to heart, that God's grace and mercy are with his elect, and that he watches over his holy ones.



(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 15) 



Oh God my beloved Father, many times we are like these people, we see but we do not understand, because our perspective is worldly and not spiritual. I pray that we undress our sinful nature and dress up our sinful selves with holy garments. I pray that You baptize us with the power and grace of Your Holy Spirit Amen.


¹⁶ The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living, and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 16) 



Oh God, my beloved Father, today our ancestors wail in desperation from their graves at us, for we are lost. Our new sources of advanced knowledge that is being fed to both children and adults is gradually having negative consequences on our faith. We are growing up under the impression that we are totally in control of our lives, and of the decisions that we need to take. In our confusion, we are mixing up logic and scientific enquiry with what we feel is right in my situation instead of referring to You my God and Father Amen. When proceeding with my separation I may have done the same thing, however as You know my mental stability was at risk and I could not last long in that negative environment Amen.


¹⁷ For they will see the end of the wise, and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them, and for what he kept them safe.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 17) 


Blessed be Your Name and blessed be Your purposes and intentions my God and Father for they are totally different from our own. I thank You for the many circumstances from which You delivered me safely, such events that maybe I had not been aware of the danger or harm I was in. Thank You for saving me from making rash decisions, for which after I would have had been sorry for taking. Thank You, Jesus. Amen. 



¹⁸ The unrighteous will see, and will have contempt for them, but the Lord will laugh them to scorn. After this they will become dishonoured corpses and an outrage among the dead forever; ¹⁹ because he will dash them speechless to the ground, and shake them from the foundations; they will be left utterly dry and barren, and they will suffer anguish, and the memory of them will perish.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verses 18 to 19) 


Oh God, my Father, even though it seems that evil is winning You will have the final victory, the decisive victory that will bring the war between the forces of good and the forces of evil to an end. Many evil souls will tremble, I pray that I will not be among such a pitiful group for I am still a sinner Amen. God have mercy on me Your sinner.


²⁰ They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up, and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.


(The Book of Wisdom Chapter 4 verse 20)


Oh, brothers and sisters, the day will come when we will need to give an account of our positive and negative actions while on earth as humans. I pray that we bold enough when we appear in Your presence Amen.


Oh God, my Father I would like to end this fourth chapter of the Book of Wisdom with the following prayer:-

Oh God my Father, my Mother, my Brother and even my Sister, You are everything to me. Even though I am in a constant state of works in progress and still far from being perfect, I want to tell You that I still love You even though I am still a sinner Amen