Proverbs 16:18 warns us that pride goes before a fall. Meditate on that verse today. What does it mean to your life?

A few short years ago, the word friend was simply a noun. You didn’t friend someone; you made friends with someone. Unfriend wasn’t in our vernacular, either. In the days before social media became so pervasive, you had to actually avoid someone in person rather than simply blocking their profile if you didn’t want to be friends with them anymore.

I remember spending the night at a friend’s house in the 5^th grade, and we got into a squabble about something petty. I can’t even remember now what the argument was about, but it was too late to call my parents to go home (only the wealthy had mobile phones, and there was no such thing as texting), so I had to sleep on her floor. We didn’t talk to each other forever—like a whole day—and then we were friends again.

Aren’t we all fickle like that, to some degree? Part of growing up means learning to work through difficulties in our relationships. The cliché used to be that people “wear their feelings on their sleeves,” but now it’s more likely that they wear their feelings on their Wall. Pride often warps our judgment, and with a few clicks, we can share how we really feel about so-and-so or such-and-such with hundreds of others and unfriend anyone we choose—instantaneously.

Psalm 123:4 reminds us that this pride problem has been around long before friending and unfriending on a whim became part of our culture: “We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud” (NIV).

The first time I read that verse, I immediately put myself into the shoes of the one being ridiculed … I can think of plenty of examples when my hurt feelings were on the receiving end of someone else’s contempt. Yet, the more I meditated on the passage, I began to realize that I’m perfectly capable of being the condescending one, as well. Let’s focus our prayer time this week on working through these issues.

We talked on Sunday about writing out a prayer to God. Today, let’s write him a love note. Tell him how much you adore & appreciate him.

Do you know someone who is seeking God? Maybe they don’t even know they’re seeking him; perhaps they’re just confused. Pray for them today.

Pray today for the travelers who flock to Jerusalem to seek answers. Ask God to reveal his son, Jesus, to them in fullness and truth.

Some faiths make long journeys to holy sites to worship. Yet, we skip church to fish, play or just sleep in on Sundays. Pray for revival!

What extremes would you go to so that you could worship God? Many Christians around the world have to meet in secret. Would you dare?

Peter reminds us to always be ready to tell others about the hope that we have in Christ (I Peter 3:15). Who do you need to tell?

If you wrote God a note, what would it say? If it helps you to organize your thoughts, write it down & read it aloud to guide your prayer.

In the movie Letters to Juliet, a young woman intercepts a letter written to Romeo’s famous soulmate, which, like hundreds of other notes, had been tucked into the crevices of a stone wall in the hopes that Juliet would respond to their pleas for romantic intervention. The lead character takes it upon herself to play the role of Juliet and embarks on an adventure to find the missing beau and reunite him with his long lost lady.

Letters to Juliet is a sweet coming-of-age tale that may seem far-fetched, yet the fictional story brings to mind a real place where hundreds of thousands of people journey year after year, seeking answers to life’s questions. The place I’m referring to is the Western Wall in Jerusalem, also known as the “Wailing Wall.” This aptly named barrier is situated on the western side of the Temple Mount and was part of the ancient wall that once surrounded the temple courtyard.

Nowadays, the Western Wall is the closest spot that Jews can get to the site of the former temple, so it is revered as a holy place. Jews and other religious pilgrims travel to the wall to pray, and many people have left behind their petitions written on pieces of paper that they tucked into nooks and crannies in the stones. The reason that Israel’s Western Wall is so highly regarded is its proximity to the temple site. The Old Testament referred to the temple as God’s house—quite literally, which is why the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem remains such a sore spot between religious groups in the region.

One of the Psalms of Ascent—Psalm 122—reminds us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let’s focus our prayer time this week on pilgrims, seekers and peace.