Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Have you ever been a part of a scavenger hunt? You get your first clue, figure out what it means, and it leads you to the next clue. If you and your team figure out all the clues first, you win the prize at the end!

As we continue looking at Proverbs today, I was reminded of a scavenger hunt as I read the first few verses of chapter 2.

“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5

When you participate in a scavenger hunt, you don’t come in knowing and understanding all the clues. You have to read each one and figure out what it means. Sometimes you may not be able to figure it out on your own. You need the rest of your team to help you. I wasn’t always the best at asking for help on scavenger hunts – I wanted to figure it out on my own!

I think it works that way as we seek wisdom in God’s word. We don’t just pick up the Bible and immediately understand what it means just by holding it in our hands. Notice the words that are used in those verses: listen, concentrate, search. Those are active words! We can’t gain Godly wisdom without listening, concentrating on His word, and searching to understand what it means.

And we can’t do it all on our own. Sometimes we come across a passage that we may not fully understand, and we need to ask someone else to help us determine what it means. A great place to do this is House Church! We can read God’s word together and seek to help each other understand what it means and how to apply that wisdom to our lives.

As you get closer to the end of your scavenger hunt, you get excited about what all those clues have been leading you to: the prize or treasure at the end! We should have that same feeling of excitement as we read God’s word and seek His wisdom. Verse 4 tells us to “Search for them as you would silver; seek them like hidden treasures.” When you and your team complete the scavenger hunt and get your prize, what do you do? You share it with each other! When we meet together in House Church or Men’s and Women’s Summer Groups, we can share what we have learned in God’s word with others so that they can have the same treasure we have found: wisdom from God on how to live our lives in a way that honors and glorifies Him.

If you aren’t a part of a House Church yet, I want to encourage you to find one near you this fall and become a part of that treasure hunt for wisdom from God’s word! In the meantime, you can also join one of our Men’s and Women’s Summer Groups meetings during the month of June on your campus. For more information on summer groups, check out our website, venturechurch.org/summer.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
  
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
  
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
  
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
  
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.