Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse . . . Pr. 2:12
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding, for wisdom is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Pr. 3:13-14.
Lord, bless our institutions of higher learning. We thank you for the knowledge they preserve, the ideas they spark, and the spaces they provide for thinking. Help them to survive the economic and political pressures that promote credentialism over more rigorous thinking and constrain a fuller dialogue on difficult issues. Help our country place a higher value on intelligence and education, and use the resources it has to translate research into the solutions our communities need. Help our students develop a greater love of learning and also strength of character as they study principles, data, and consequences. Both during their time at school and as they move into the working world, give our youth the confidence to contribute their unique perspectives, experiences, and knowledge, as well as the humility to continue learning. Let them find advisors and mentors who support and encourage yet also provoke new thought and achievement, for we know “with many advisors their plans will succeed” (Pr. 15:22). Yet let us not forget that true wisdom comes from you. And as our graduates enter the working world, do not let them be discouraged, nor become overconfident, but help them look to you for guidance that they may in finding their own paths help us find ours.
Amen
Prayers For Our Country 