"Prayer is always foundational to wisdom." ~ Eugene Peterson ~
Peterson goes on to say that According to church traditions, James (From The Book of James in The Bible) had the nickname of "Old Camel Knees" because of thick calluses built up on his knees from many years of determined prayer.
I love that. Can you imagine the cumulative effect of all those prayers! How would you like to have on your resume or in your portfolio that you wrote one of the books of The Bible! Prayer is definitely the foundation to wisdom...Prayer focuses our thoughts and guides our lives...Prayer puts us in the zone...
Mark Batterson talks about being in "Prayer Mode." When we constantly Pray, our thoughts and actions become shaped by those Prayers. The Holy Spirit speaks and we listen, giving us all the wisdom we need. Mark goes on to say how "Prayer Mode" is like our Reticular Activating System, the part of the brain that acts as our center for arousal and motivation. When we pray, we start seeing things or hearing things that otherwise we would have paid no attention to.
It's sort of like the phenomenon that occurs when we buy a certain shirt or hear a certain word. All of a sudden, we see that certain shirt everywhere or here that certain word over and over again. It's not that the shirt was non-existent before, it's just that we became more aware of it once we bought it...so it is with Prayer...Prayer focuses out thoughts and actions and we begin to see more clearly...we begin to gain wisdom on top of wisdom!
But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. ~ James 1.5 ~
