What is wisdom to you? How would you define it? Do you desire to be wise? Grasping for wisdom can feel like grasping to hold onto mist. We see it. We can move in it. But we can not hold onto it. It seems to continually escape our grasp. Why is that?
Too often, we equate wisdom with knowledge. In our world of continual inventions and discoveries, we feel as though there is always something new to learn. But wisdom isn’t all about knowledge. Wisdom is not knowing the most but properly applying the knowledge we have.
In our passage today, we are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The phrase “fear of the Lord” can be translated as reverence or piety. In other words, if we place God first in our lives, we are taking the first step toward gaining wisdom. What does that mean and what does it look like?
It is not merely attending worship services, though that is important. It is not merely attending Bible studies, though that is important as well. It is going to God and trusting him with all our decisions. It means that we ask God to help us understand our current situation and how we are to maneuver our way through it.
Trusting God rather than our own understanding will increase our wisdom. Giving God the credit is also key to our gaining wisdom. The more we lean on him and give him the credit for his blessing of wisdom, the more he is pleased. As we gain wisdom and understanding, we will praise him more because we gain a better understanding of who he is.
I pray we all are pious before God, giving him the reverence he is due. I pray we lean on and trust God in all situations. I pray each one of us will seek wisdom and understanding from God. Revere God. Be pious before God. Lean on God. Trust God. Seek wisdom from God. Seek understanding from God.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
Marty Pressey 