The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. It is rooted in reverence of something more. After all, His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). I’m on a journey of seeking more wisdom, and the first thing I realized is that ground zero is humility. So welcome on this journey with me!
Wisdom feels so obscure, and if you read Proverbs it feels overwhelming. But Wisdom is really just a gift that is developed into maturity by seeking knowledge and cherishing understanding.
Recently I went back to the book of Job. And looking at faithful Job, who feared the Lord and was blameless, I feel like I took something away, a note that was scrawled across his life regarding wisdom.
To first give context, Job is the story of a man who was so faithful that Satan decided to gain permission from the Lord to test. And the Lord, with complete confidence in his friend Job, said yes.
I don’t think anyone of us wants the Lord to have that conversation with Satan about them.
So Satan proceeds to kill off his family, destroys his home and his work until there is nothing but Job and the opportunity to give into bitterness. And then we have chapters upon chapters in which friends of Job give him snippets of good advice wrapped in a skewed perspective and accusations. And then, at the end, the Lord finally acknowledges Job, fixes his perspective about the whole situation with a bit of a rebuke, and he is given back, in overflowing amounts, everything he lost.
So I wanted to look at four different points I found in Job regarding our quest to deepen our wisdom.
1. What makes a fool: those who are faultfinders.
At the end of Job the Lord is speaking to him and, well frankly, rebuking him. Job 40:2 says “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with the Lord give an answer.”
Now we’ve all done this, complained about everything going wrong in our lives. But there is a time to submit our requests to God, after prayer and supplication (Philippians 4:6).
Think about the Psalms and how David asks for the Lord to put a guard over his mouth (Psalms 141:3). Things go bad, sometimes they just do. But will you continue to just find fault? That is not how one curries favor with the Lord. But it is through thanksgiving and praise that we enter his courts (Psalms 100:4).
2. How do you act in the winter season?
Firstly, a winter season in this context is a time when all else seems to be empty of growth in your life, you feel stilted, perhaps you feel like the Lord isn’t moving or speaking to you. And how exactly do you react when everything in your life has turned on its head?
This is when your integrity has a gun pointed to its head. Can we stand and say that we remained faithful not just in speech, but in thought and action to that which is upright and good? Or do you find yourself cursing your own life, cursing God?
This season usually takes you through some stages of grief. There are tears and anger. Which in and of itself is not evil, but remember to submit it under the Lord. I like to think of this time as a point where we are dying to ourselves, opening up room to love with humility.
So, if you find yourself in this season, hold fast to the promises of God. That he is faithful towards you. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 1:6). Speak out to your own soul that he is good, and he has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11)
Be like Job and do not curse the God that holds you in his hands.
3. Gain Knowledge
Proverbs 2:6 “ For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
I’m going to keep this one short and simple. Look for knowledge under every rock.
If you want wisdom you first need to KNOW a few things. You’ll find that asking the right questions is one of the most important things you can do. Ask the lord to teach you to ask the right questions.
If you are giving advice, try to cut down on the advice. In the words of Joanne Moody “People are the masters of their own trainwrecks.” Ask them questions, and empower them to gain their own answers. Then do the same for yourself.
4. Cherish Understanding
So when I reread Job this verse really rocked me: “who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2)
Being honest? I have given “counsel” when I have not had the proper understanding of what I was saying. And even saying it, it felt like it was obscure. So what did I do? I complicated a matter in someone’s heart I was better to have just stayed out of it.
Sometimes silence is the gift you want to give.
Remember you are not the hero of this story, God is. And he does a miraculous job of it.
If you have any wisdomous insights please comment!
Rest in the peace of knowing there is great hope for us.
Coral Faith
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