Proverbs 2
Do you want to be known as wise? Is being wise important? What does it mean to be wise? It means being able to make good choices, and thus, living in such a way as to prosper and be happy. It is the wise person who often advances in life. This is because they aren’t easily ruffled when life throws them curve balls and it looks like everything is in chaos. The wise person knows how to stay calm, think clearly and inspire confidence in others. The wise person is often a peace maker, a motivator, and a half-glass-full kind of person. We don’t often hear about wisdom in the media, but it is something that most of us really aspire to add to our own beings.
So…how does one become wise? Is it by being highly educated, being a bookworm with lots of knowledge like the contestants on Jeopardy, or does it come with age like white hair and wrinkles? How are we able to advance our own wisdom? Here’s the kicker, we can’t!
Wisdom is a gift. Proverbs 2:6 says, Only the Lord gives wisdom; He gives knowledge and understanding. In other words, we need to ask for wisdom and then believe God will give it to us.
So…how do we know that God actually has given us this gift of wisdom? By our lifestyles. Here’s the thing, wisdom isn’t just a tool to be pulled out when needed. Wisdom, is actually an action visible in the way we live our lives.
Listen carefully to wisdom;
set your mind on understanding.
Cry out for wisdom,
and beg for understanding.
Search for it like silver,
and hunt for it like hidden treasure.
Then you will understand respect for the LORD,
and you will find that you know God. Proverbs 2:2-4
Look at all the actions we take in our daily lives that show the gift of wisdom: we listen, set our mind on understanding, cry out, beg for understanding, and search and hunt for wisdom. What needs to be understood here is who we listen to and where do we search and hunt for wisdom. We look to God and read His word, the Bible.
The gift of wisdom is not just a one time gift, but a gift that needs to be developed throughout a lifetime. It’s like a singer who has been given the gift of a beautiful voice since childhood. Everyone can see that the child is given a special gift, but unless he/she practices, learns from voice masters and lives a life with song each day, the gift will dwindle and die. We are to develop this precious gift of wisdom every moment of our waking lives.
So…why is it so important to develop wisdom? Can’t we just go through life getting by, and living our lives as we see fit? What are the rewards of wisdom anyhow? First and foremost, if we develop wisdom, we will get to know the creator of wisdom Himself, God. As we are learning about who He is, He in turn is working faithfully in our lives because we are pursuing wisdom.
He [God] stores up wisdom for those who are honest.
Like a shield He protects the innocent.
He makes sure that justice is done,
and He protects those who are loyal to Him.
Then you will understand what is honest and fair
and what is the good and right thing to do.
Wisdom will come into your mind,
and knowledge will be pleasing to you.
Good sense will protect you;
understanding will guard you.
It will keep you from the wicked, Proverbs 7-12b
This is a list that gives me peace because I know I’m being taken care of as I travel through this life. I find it really interesting that God stores up wisdom for those who are honest, or as other versions say, upright. It seems that when I ask God for wisdom, He not only freely gives it, but has a file in Heaven with my name on it where He is storing up more wisdom to give me. As we strive to live a life that is righteous and puts God in the center of everything, He is ready to give us even more wisdom, more knowledge of Him, more understanding of Him and of how to live a life that gives us joy and peace. What I find so interesting is that it seems to be individualized. After all, God created each of us uniquely and it stands to reason that my search for wisdom will be just as unique – thus the ‘individual file’ for each and everyone of us who are seeking to have wisdom, and to know God more.
A few of the other rewards of wisdom is that as we are asking God for this important gift, He is protecting us, making sure that justice is done for us [mind you, this may not happen in our lifetime, but will happen when Jesus comes again], giving us an understanding of that is honest and fair, and showing us what the good and right things to do. These are all rewards that involve our physical existence in life.
There are also mental rewards of wisdom as well. It comes into our minds, hearts and souls; so much so that when wisdom becomes an aspect of our personalities, we enjoy knowledge and understanding actually guards us. We receive good sense, some might say, common sense. This is how understanding protects us. It keeps us from following evil, that is, making wrong, destructive decisions.
So…why is asking for and desiring wisdom a good thing? Because the rewards are beneficial for us. Having wisdom gives us protection, understanding of life’s situations, keeps us honest and fair, and gives us peace of mind, joy, and common sense. Best of all wisdom gives us a closer relationship with the One who created both wisdom and us – God.
*All Scripture used in this blog is from the New Century Version.
**Picture from L Thomason Post, Dec. 2016.
