Spiritual progression, as described in Proverbs

The first five verses of chapter 2 of Proverbs (KJV) read:

1  My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 
5  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

In reading those verses, pay close attention to the verbs, which emphasize the increasing intensity of spiritual progression.

Verse 1 states that we should "receive" God's words, and "hide" them within ourselves. Then verse 2 takes it a step further, stating that we should "incline" our ear and "apply" our heart. The verbs in verse 3 crank up the intensity: "criest" and "liftest." Verse 4 outlines further spiritual progression: "seekest" and "searchest," with particular emphasis on the superiority of God's word over all earthly devices. Finally, verse 5 reveals the rewards for this spiritual development: we "understand" and "find" knowledge of God.

Those five verses, particular the verbs, highlight the path all of us should strive to follow. Whenever we encounter spiritual stagnation, let us try to restart back at verse 1, and follow this outline.

A good verse for prayerful meditation

Sometimes praying doesn't need to consist of a logically stream of deep thoughts. Rather, sometimes our prayers can be quiet reflections upon spiritual matters. For those types of prayers, it can help to repeat an easy-to-memorize verse over and over in our head. One good candidate appears in Proverbs 30:5 (KJV),

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

The verse highlights the importance of scripture, and it emphasizes God's protection and love for us. Try taking a few moments to repeat this verse, say, 5-10 times in your head. See if it helps establish a connection with God!

Bad influences

In Haggai 2:12 (KJV), God asks,

If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy?

And to this question, the priests answer "no." But then in verse 13 (KJV), God asks,

If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean?

And to this, the priests answer "yes."

Dealing with ancient Jewish law, these verses can seem cryptic, but the message is actually fairly simple. Verse 12 is saying that one person's righteousness will not "rub off" on someone else. Verse 13, on the other hand, is saying that sinful behavior will, in fact, tend to rub off on other people.

Thus, these two verses offer a call to personal responsibility, along with a note of warning. We, and we alone, are responsible for our standing toward God. We can't count on someone else having a good standing that somehow becomes credited to us. But at the same time, wickedness does tend to become contagious.

In our prayers, let's focus on strengthening our standing with God, while also praying for protection against worldly sins. 

God's forgiveness

Hosea 5:15 (KJV) highlights the process involved in God's forgiveness.

I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

This short verse packs a load of information. First, when we sin, God leaves us to our own devices by "going and returning" to his place. His pulling away eventually brings us "affliction." (Those points are made many places in the bible.) Second, he patiently awaits our repentance. 2 Peter 3:15 makes this same point. Finally, there is an indication that our turning toward God is inevitable, when he says, "they will seek me."

So in sum, we are going to sin, which pushes God away and invites negative consequences. He waits for us to turn back toward him. And this entire process is inevitable, a realization that should humble us before him.

Daniel thanks God

In chapter 2 of Daniel, God reveals the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream to Daniel, which Daniel then is to relay to the King. Daniel then proceeds to offer a prayer of thanks to God. This prayer, which I copy and paste below (verses 20-23, KJV), offers a nice, general purpose prayer of thanksgiving that any of us can use in any circumstance.

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might.

Living for now as a form of spiritual humility

"Living in the moment" is a common self-help type of pep talk, but one that, unfortunately, often comes with a connotation of rowdy behavior. However, a certain version of that philosophy has spiritual roots.

James 4:13-15 (KJV) states,

Ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow ... For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

This form of "living in the moment" has an element of Godly subjection. It offers a great way to view the singular spiritual importance of every moment, and it provides a great starting point for prayer.

"Fearing" God

The bible speaks a lot of "fearing" God, which, at first blush, can seem to contrast with the image of an all-loving God. In fact, I imagine the thought of a God who should be "feared" might seem off-putting to those first approaching the bible.

First, an entity that created time and space, and who also controls the destinies of all parts of existence, should be feared, because that entity is under no obligation to follow our earthly-created rules of fairness and respect. But, more importantly, "fearing" God, in the way the bible describes it, can be liberating, and entirely consistent with an all-loving God.

In Ezekiel 12:18 (KJV), God says,

Eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness.

God has provided the Israelites (and us) with bread and water, and they (and we) must realize that those items may be taken away in an instant. With that realization, they (and we) should proceed with humble thanksgiving.

Psalm 2:11 (KJV) famously hits upon this theme, when the psalmist commands,

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

The point is, this "fear" of God is the ultimate way to humble ourselves before him. Having "fear" means that we depend on him, and only him. Viewed in that way, this "fear," rather than being restrictive or unpleasant, is actually liberating and peaceful.