Every day we make thousands of decisions. How did we make those decisions? Were they any good? Were they wise? How do you know? Many of us would answer by asking, “How did that pan out for you?” But Wisdom asks, “Where did you start?”
Lady Wisdom is not someone you tack onto life’s circumstances at some point in the journey. Neither do we start “somewhere” and bring God in like Mystic Meg at some other point along the way.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7)
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
This verse teaches us that wisdom is dependent on a proper attitude and relationship to the Lord. It’s a relationship that reverences Him and honours Him above all else, and so starts with Him on all things.
The wise man starts his thinking by deferring to the law-word of God (Psalm 111:10). This is what makes him wise. God is his foundation, his starting point.
The fool may borrow the wisdom of God along the way but he will not tie himself to God as his starting point.
The other thing we learn from this verse is that, despite the current me-itis of our culture, wisdom is not something inherently within us. The source of true wisdom is external.
The fool is taught to place trust in his own resources (Proverbs 28:26). “Believe in yourself. We know you’ve got it in you!” is the mantra of Dame Folly.
The wise man starts with God because he knows His word is faithful and true. He starts with God because God causes him to tremble. From there he takes his first steps.
It doesn’t matter what the circumstance is. It could be related to your children, your health, your finances, your marriage, your house, your job, your morality, your anxiety or that irritating person in the seat next to you.
Where do you start in your effort to navigate life’s prickly bits? What’s the best way forward? Wisdom starts by checking in with God out of reverential fear.
And those who fear the Lord start with God because they believe His word is perfect and all His ways are just.
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