Where Wisdom Is Found

*** Der deutsche Originaltext wurde gestern hier eingestellt.  

Before Corona, we used to celebrate our own kind of evensong at Berlin Cathedral every Thursday evening.  And I have always felt the prayers that our theologian on the team, Holger Shmidtle, writes for us, most inspiring. One of my highlights of the week, so now, that Evensong in the church has turned out too complicated due to the current restrictions, we wish to share Bible words and prayers with you via blog-post. The prayer translation is by Hugh, also on our Evensong team. 

Job 28, 11-15.20.21.23-28: They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light. But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me“, the sea says, “It is not with me.” It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. (…) Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky. (…) God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

We pray: God, root of all wisdom, we strive to answer the questions in our lives and we find the answer to many and yet we realize again and again that everything is greater than our mind can grasp. And it is not uncommon for us to doubt and to come to you if we are lost. We ask you, lead us to awareness by the hand of love through which we may discern the ups and downs of our lives in a new way and come to recognize the greatness of your vital presence in our lives of everyday. Empower us through such love to find harmony in our lives.

God, root of all wisdom, other people often bother us, and we come up against their way of doing things and judge their decisions and criticize their actions. In so doing, we often give free rein to the harshness of our hearts, so that rejection, misunderstandings and high-handedness become decisive. We ask you, lead us to awareness by the hand of love through which we may discern your divine likeness in the face of our neighbor and so take wholly different paths in our lives together. Empower us through love to find harmony in justice and human dignity.

God, root of all wisdom, we human beings are guided by external appearances and so all around we focus on that which keeps individuals and peoples apart. And it is not uncommon for rejection, violence and war to ensue. We think especially of those who are excluded because of the color of their skin, of their origin or of their way of life. We ask you, lead us to awareness by the hand of love so that we may learn to see that which unites us and to walk new paths of peace and reconciliation. Empower us through love to fashion that harmony in justice that brings hope to within the grasp of all.

Everything that moves us or burdens our hearts we bring before you, God, in silent prayer.

And for all those worries and concerns that we can never truly express with words, let us say that Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

May God bless you!