16th day of Lent

Visiting the book of Proverbs is one of my favorite places to visit. I remember as a youth, while returning from a UMYF youth retreat, I began to read these verses of ancient wisdom. I found them intriguing as a young person. I continue to find them intriguing as a young grandparent.

“If you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures - then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:3-5) Wow! Who doesn’t wish for the knowledge of God in all decisions and in all of living? I know I sure do.

Sometimes I can do the stupidest things and speak foolish words. Why am I so slow to wisdom? Yet I have had moments when I do feel God has spoken a word of wisdom to me and through me. I have even had moments I would describe as surreal when in a flash of a moment God spoke through me to help someone else with a word of wisdom. So I know it is possible - just not as frequent as I’d like.

Why is it this way for me? I suspect I know the answer. If it were easy, then I might not appreciate its value. If it were easy, I might think it was me and not God. If it were easy, then I might become a “mis-user” of such a gift and lean toward arrogance rather than humility. If it were easy to be wise, I might grow to be unwise as I tended toward taking wisdom for granted.

I suspect it is like a lot of growing issues in my life. God is more interested in the process of my growing than God is interested in the end result of my growth. God is interested in the journey as much as God is interested in the destination. Perhaps the realization that wisdom comes difficult for me is exactly the “teaching point” that God desires for me. It is this awareness that keeps me sensitive to my need to “cry out for insight and raise my voice for understanding.” It is my acknowledgement of wisdom lacking that causes me to “seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures.” It is in such places that I will “understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” May it be so.