Proverbs 24: 1-2, 16, 30-31, 33-34

1 Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company;

2  for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.

16  for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

30  I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

31  thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

33  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—

34  and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Prayer

Our heavenly Father, you are our God who rewards good and punishes evil. In the morning, we stand in awe before your throne of mercy and receive heavenly wisdom to start a new day. May we truly understand your heart and know your perfect plan, so that we can act accordingly with heavenly wisdom. Dear God our Father, you are full of love and righteousness. Even though the righteous will suffer hardships, stumble and lose his foothold, he will not fall flat because Lord, you will hold him up with your hands. Behind the disaster is your blessing in disguise. It is your ladder of saving grace that will help us to rise up against all harm.

Thank the Lord Jesus for enabling us to reconcile with God, giving us hope and joy of eternal life so that we can persevere until now. Even though we are under the pressure and impact of the pandemic, our lives are trapped in dissatisfaction and our emotion is extremely unstable; we still firmly believe that this is a test for our endurance in order that we can be more mature with patience, faithfulness and unwavering hope of salvation. We know that our hope will never fail for our Lord is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

Holy Spirit, thanks for filling our hearts with the love of our heavenly Father. Please teach us to examine our hearts for any evil thoughts, violent schemes and deceitful ideas; help us to remove the stumbling blocks of evil, bitterness, complaint and forbid our mouths to speak of evil. Our gloating at others’ misfortunes and our insincerity has caused us to fall short of the glory of God, harm the people around us, and make our neighbors suffer. Holy Spirit, please teach us to build in our hearts a holy sanctuary where you can dwell in peace and guide our hearts and minds. Give us heavenly knowledge and wisdom. Let us see your will clearly so we can handle worldly affairs with your justice and be wise in handling our own provisions. Together with the love for each other, we can build faithfulness, righteousness, knowledge, self-control, patience and godliness. Our lives will then bear fruit, be a testimony glorifying God and benefitting others----worthy of the calling we have received.

We pray in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Article quoted from：Ohana prayer