Where Wisdom is Found

One day, I was having lunch with a coworker who had become a really close friend and sister in Christ. I don’t recall what I was pontificating about, but, in her patient, persevering way, she said to me, “You’re really smart.” If you know my friend, Cori, you know that she is loyal to the death. Most people probably would have rolled their eyes or faked a spill and excused themselves to get a napkin. Instead, she called me “smart”! Well! That felt really good. That is until the Holy Spirit entered stage left and gave me this word: “Wisdom is infinitely greater than intelligence”. 

Ouch and amen.

He’s right, you know. And guess who the ”wise guy” is in this story? Yep! My friend Cori. I said to her, ‘You know what? I may be able to retain information and regurgitate it, but you have something even more valuable than that: you are wise.” This was not lip service. Cori is one of the wisest people I’ve ever met. 

What’s her secret? Quiet time with the Lord each morning. Reading her Bible (cue the groans… I know, I know)! Here’s the thing: if you’re like I was (up until recently), you view the Bible a lot like Mt. Everest. Dangerous, daunting, impossible to navigate and you don’t know where to begin. But once you dive in, you’ll be amazed at how it will transform your life from the inside out in short order! The good news, too: you don’t need to be Einstein to understand it! You need only come to it with a humble spirit, praying and asking God who is faithful, to reveal what He is speaking through it, directly to you!

The door to wisdom is open to us. It may even be sitting right there on our nightstand, coffee table, or dusty bookshelf! 

God sees wisdom as being of eternal importance. So much so, in fact, that there is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to it: the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 1:7 says this, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” 

The word “fear” there refers to a holy reverence of God. A humble acknowledgment that He alone is God and we are not. A surrender to His will and His ways. 

The book of Proverbs was written almost entirely by King Solomon and the audience was his sons, yet we can all benefit from the timeless truths we find there. What’s especially interesting is that, as it’s written, wisdom is portrayed as a woman; referred to as “she”. It’s classified as a book of poetry, which can be challenging for those of us who are wicked literal. Not to worry though- the Lord is faithful to reveal wisdom to us who struggle with the abstract! 

Wisdom is different from knowledge. God created each of us with a certain capacity for obtaining knowledge. You might say that knowledge is natural. But wisdom is far greater. It is a spiritual gift from God that is acquired by spending time getting to know Him in His alive-and-active Word (the Bible). 

There are many highly intelligent people who couldn’t find their way out of a wet paper bag. Think about it; you probably know someone like that. Intelligence is great by worldly standards and can make for a very comfortable living, letters after one’s name, notoriety, and even fame. Perhaps that would be great if this world is all there is. Only it isn’t. 

Knowledge goes back to God (everything does) because He’s the one who blesses us with a brain. But knowledge comes from our own striving and working. Not that this is a bad thing in and of itself, but it can be a snare. Knowledge is good in the here and now. 

Wisdom, though. Wisdom is where God speaks to us through His Word and through Holy Spirit revelation in us!  His wisdom, flowing through us then blesses others (full disclosure-sometimes it doesn’t feel like a blessing till later) and most importantly, glorifies God! Wisdom is of eternal importance.

Knowledge often puffs up as we point to our wall of certificates, degrees, and accomplishments. Again, this is not all bad, we just need to be mindful of who gave us the knowledge.

Wisdom points to God. He who is the source of every good and perfect gift, including Jesus, who died for us, making the way for us to know the Father- not just when we get to heaven but right now, on earth! Wisdom is the one thing that God promises to lavish on us without measure, too. 

James 1:5: “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God– who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly–and it will be given to him.” 

To sum it up in one statement: “Knowledge is good; wisdom is greater.” May we all seek wisdom as we go about our week, pressing into the wise and perfect Father. 

Let’s pray. “Lord, we need You. We need Your divine wisdom. We are blessed to have Bibles so readily available to us. Forgive us when we approach Your Word as a burden or an obstacle to indecent living and fleshly desires. Please renew our minds, walking with us as we take captive every thought, making it obedient to Christ. Please infuse us with Your Holy and perfect wisdom God as we read through the Proverbs this month as a church. I pray God, for a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit in the body of believers worldwide, so that we may minister to a hurt and dying world around us. Also, Lord, that we would not lose heart as believers but that we would long for the day of Your glorious appearance, Jesus! You are so good, God. Thank you for Your patience. Thank you that it’s not your desire that anyone should perish. I pray God for anyone who You lead to this devotional, that You would speak so clearly and specifically to them right now and that they would step out on faith- taking that first step of believing You died for their sins and that You desire an indescribably intimate, personal relationship with them. Thank you, Jesus! We love you. Amen.