Praying Through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs

Some people are smart, but are they wise?Wisdom comes through experience, not diplomas and degrees. While school gives you experience with information, hands-on or life-lived, information is good only for the brain. Wisdom is what you learn from life, then apply it so you can live right.King Solomon asked for wisdom when God inquired, "What would you like me to give you?" Our minds would cascade through a number of great things like long life, more power and, yes, more money.Solomon instead asked for wisdom and got it. Plus, God threw in all those other things we wanted first, saying if you have wisdom, you'll live longer, be more prosperous and have more influence.Proverbs is 31 chapters of short, pithy sayings that say a lot with very little so you can live wisely.Ecclesiastes is an essay on life, spoken through an older, wiser Solomon who learned from his mistakes and doesn't want you to repeat them.Song of Songs is a romantic play of a husband and wife in love, expressing the wisdom of true marital bliss.We can all learn something from these three books and live a wiser, more productive life.PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIESWhat is God's word? Simply put, it is the word of God spoken to people long ago who transcribed that information into writing. That writing was meticulously passed down for thousands of years to speak to us today.How did God speak to people in Bible times? -Audibly - God spoke directly to people who heard Him with their ears or in their heart.-Through situations - God spoke through the actions and events of this world.-Through people - God spoke through leaders, kings and prophets who proclaimed God's purpose.-Through prophecy - God spoke about future events, then those events happened.-Scripture - God spoke through His written word when people read those words later.-Prayer - God spoke through the prayers of people.PRAYING THROUGH THE BIBLE SERIES recognizes the power of God speaking to mankind through His Scriptures. God's word was not only meant to be read, but applied. We must apply ourselves to these passages and adjust our lives to God's will.The prayers contained in this book paraphrase the scriptures into a personal conversation with God. That way you can speak the words of God back to Him and make them your own.Today, God uses many ways to speak to us. This book incorporates those avenues of communication to ensure that God will speak to you during your quiet time with Him.Each section asks the reader to do six things.1.Read the passage. Open up the Bible and read His Word.2.Memorize the passage. A certain verse is given special focus. Commit it to memory. Remember it all day.3.Understand the passage. Background information (Time, Characters, Place, What's Happening) help you to understand the context of the section you are reading.4.Read the prayer. Read the written prayers as if they were from your heart. Don't recite them as words from a page, but a plea from your soul.5.Keep praying. Prayer prompts are there to help you continue praying about other specific areas. Listen to the Holy Spirit and see if there is more you need to pray.6.Journal your thoughts. In the space provided, write down some thoughts that you feel God said to your during this time. Every so often I've included a "Prayer Thoughts" page to give you more room to journal your thoughts and write down prayer requests as you go through the Bible.Get ready to spend some quality time with God.Get ready for God to speak to you through His Word.