Wisdom That Never Fails

Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty...acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours. J. I. Packer

There may have been times in our lives when we’ve faced challenges and wondered, “How am I ever going to get out of this situation?” It seems as if we’ve exhausted all of our options. It would seem as if there is no parting of the proverbial Red Sea. We may even think that God is silent. But could it be that we are so busy trying to find a way out of our situation ourselves that we are not inclining our ear to Him? Could it be that the noise – the voices of others, the cares and busyness of our lives is drowning out the voice of the Lord? Could it be that we are not listening?

This is the advice that the writer of Proverbs gives to us in our pursuit of answers to the challenges we face:

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:1-6 ESV)

This is what our heavenly Father is saying to us. He is asking us to make our ears attentive to wisdom. To His wisdom. The wisdom of our omniscient, all-knowing God. The NLT says it like this, “tune your ears to wisdom.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ‘to tune’ is to bring into harmony or adjust for precise functioning. This is very much like tuning our radios to a specific frequency so that we can hear a particular radio station clearly. When we do this, we are tuning out any interference from other radio stations. So when we make our ears attentive to God’s wisdom, we are tuning out any interference that may be preventing us from hearing what God is saying concerning our situation.

Verse 4 of Proverbs 2 says that we ought to search for wisdom like it’s something precious. We ought to search for it as we would search for silver or hidden treasures. When we realise and understand that God wants to share his treasures with us, we will be more intentional about setting aside time and bringing our petitions, our challenges to God. We will be more intentional about tuning our ears to Him. To listen to Him so that He can impart His wisdom to us. We will be more intentional about inclining our hearts to Him. We will be more intentional about reading and studying the wonderful treasures in His Word.

If we do this, only then will we understand the fear (be in reverent awe) of the Lord. Only then will we find the knowledge of God. Our searching for Him; our spending time in His presence and in His Word is not time wasted. It is never in vain. He promises that if we do this, we will receive His divine wisdom. His wisdom that will never fail us. We will receive His knowledge and understanding as we open our spiritual ears to hear what He has to say about our situation.

The Lord will give us wisdom and guide us by His Holy Spirit. He will direct our steps and lead us along the righteous path that He has for us. He does this because He delights in every detail of our lives. Therefore, we can give every detail of our lives to Him as we look to Him for wisdom

Psalm 37:23-24 says,

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

God is eternally wise. The riches of His wisdom are unfathomable (Romans 11:33).  It is He and only He who holds the key to our future (Jeremiah 29:11,12). He is the One who holds us by His hand when everything around us seems to be falling apart. He is the only One who knows us through and through. He is the only One who can give us wise counsel so that we can face our future with hope. So that we can face the future in His strength and in the victory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

God sees all things. He sees the bigger picture of our lives. He sees what we cannot see. And therefore, in His boundless love for us, He knows what is best for us and does what is best for us when we come to Him and seek His wisdom. When we seek His wisdom, we allow Him to accomplish that which we cannot accomplish. As we allow Him to do this, we are able to see Him for who He truly is -faithful and true. We are able to bear fruit for His kingdom and bring glory to His name. This is His ultimate goal: for everything that has breath to praise and to glorify Him (Psalm 150:6).

With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favoured of all creatures.  A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

Reflection

Are there situations in your life that you are trying to solve yourself? Will you take time to seek the Lord for His wisdom, discernment and understanding?

Will you wait on the Lord to accomplish that which only He, in His divine wisdom, can accomplish for you?

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I incline my ear to you. I call out to You for wisdom, insight and understanding. Show me, Lord, how I can search for these hidden treasures. Lord, I let go of the challenges I am facing. I surrender them to you. I pray that you will accomplish that which only you, in Your divine wisdom, Your divine power, can accomplish in my situation. Be a shield to me and watch over me. Help me to bear the fruit of Your Holy Spirit so that I may glorify and honour You. In Jesus’ name, amen.