The Blessings of Wisdom 2

My son, if you accept my words,

and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

 and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge [experience] of God.

 

For the Lord gives wisdom,

and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds victory in store for the upright,

he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

 

Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair--every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you (Prov. 2:1-11).

 

I love all the words of Sirach and of Proverbs that teach of wisdom, for they all say exactly what Jesus taught: "Ask and it will be given to you; Seek and you shall find; Knock and the door will be opened...for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Luke 11).  I remember many years ago asking the Lord to teach me the meaning of the phrase 'fear of the Lord,' for I knew there was something there that I could not grasp.  I have never been afraid of God in any way, so I thought maybe I was lacking something when I read, "the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord."  And I did not want to lack wisdom!

 

I cannot tell exactly how I learned the meaning of this phrase, or when, or where -- but somehow, the 'fear of the Lord' entered my soul in spirit and in truth.  And I know that it has nothing to do with being afraid -- it has more in common with the greatest love, the pearl of great price, for which we would give all that we possess: the one thing in life that we cannot let go of and would hold until death.  If anyone does not understand the fear of the Lord, I would refer him/her to the words of James:  If any of you lacks wisdom [alternately, "do not know what to do"], he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

 

Some of my neighbors have been searching for years for a church to attend; she was the daughter of a Baptist minister, and I think maybe she is missing the church of her childhood.  He is turned off sooner or later by something said or done in every church they have tried; he usually comes home mad, so they eventually stopped going to church.  But they are still hungry for spiritual food and community of some sort -- so what to do? 

 

I know that there is no such thing as a perfect church, any more than exists a perfect family.  So anyone who is searching for the perfect church will always be disappointed; it is like looking one's whole life for a unicorn.  I think what we all need is knowledge and discretion -- wisdom.  We need to be guided by the Holy Spirit into the "paths of righteousness."  God wants us to be in a place where we can not only be blessed by others, but be a blessing to them through the gifts He gives us.  But He is the only one who knows where that place is.  Just as He led Abraham to the land of Canaan -- not a very promising place at first, to be sure -- so He leads us to a place of blessing.  And it may not look at first like much, but if we are searching for wisdom, and crying aloud for understanding, it will be given to us.  That is what it means to see with the eyes of faith, not with the eyes of our physical body.  If we wait for our minds to comprehend the ways of God, we will wait forever.  But trusting in Him with all our hearts will eventually lead us home.