St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink deep without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching the bottom.” (St Jerome)

You speak to me biblically, Lord.

Help me please, to study carefully, silently,

Then to apply the teaching personally.

There is such wisdom to be found here,

Totally unlike any other worldly script.

I realise this is because this amazing gift

Is God breathed, scribed by the Holy Spirit,

Although put down on paper by some human author.

Thank You for all who listened in silence with rapt attention,

Recording fully and accurately for posterity

All that You wanted us to know,

To show of Your love and mercy.

Also to indicate to us the meaning of the †,

The holy life and sacrificial death of Christ Jesus,

Plus the intervention into the history of humanity,

Of the Spirit, all wise and all holy.

In this way, as we pray we grow not merely to know,

But to admire and develop a desire to adhere to

The sacred Scriptures so beneficial to us.

Helping us please, rather than merely reading

All the wisdom and truth set before us,

Especially with regard to all that pertains to the Lord Jesus,

Help us to pray as we read and apply the words.

This then, will aid society immeasurably

As we practise becoming a faith filled family,

Our life sourced and shaped by Christianity.

Lord, we are told “Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment.” (Proverbs 4 v 7 TLB) Please help us to gain this as we pray our way through the Bible. May this be ever to the praise, honour and glory of the Almighty Trinity.

Then we can be assured “Goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life and we will dwell in Your house, Lord, forever.” (based on Psalm 23 v 6).

Thank You so much for Your loving kindness towards us which makes this possible. Ever we remain indebted to You, and the least we can do is to live according to Your beneficial teaching.

Lord, the renowned biblical scholar Saint Jerome, made a pertinent remark when he said “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Let us heed this wisdom and conscientiously devote a time daily to

finding a place where we can be still before You, a silence surrounding us, so we can study Your written word and pray accordingly.

Thank You for gifting us a feast of wisdom to feed on. What a precious legacy as You speak to us. May we come to understand the countless benefits and blessings as we study Your holy word, especially as we come to then know the Lord Jesus as the manifestation of biblical wisdom and truth, the living Word of Your love.

Amen