Lady Wisdom Beckons Once Again

12 Aug Lady Wisdom Beckons Once Again

One of my favorite portions of Scriptures is Proverbs 8. It’s about the wisdom of God and the characteristics of this gift available to each of us as sons and daughters. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” is a common Scripture many of us quote, but do we understand or even practice that awe and reverence that leads us to the feet of Wisdom? It is wisdom that guides us, leads us and guards us. It is wisdom that taps us into His thoughts and His ways. It is the gift of wisdom that catapults us from our natural thinking to a supernatural perspective. As life marches on and the curse balls are thrown, I find myself more than ever praying the simple prayer, “Jesus, I need your wisdom.” I am acutely aware of my need for His wisdom, not my perspective or opinions. I need His discernment to know what’s really going on in the situations I face and I need His strategy to know how to navigate uncharted waters I often find myself in. Bottom line, I need HIS wisdom.

Proverbs 8 in the Message, has got to be one of my favorites! Eugene Peterson paints the most amazing word picture of who Wisdom is and what she is all about. Don’t rush through these words, but slow down. Drink these Scriptures in. Let them be food for your famished soul. I believe God has something for each of us as we mediate on these verses.

Proverbs 8: 1-36
1-11 Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice? 
 She’s taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts, 
“You—I’m talking to all of you, everyone out here on the streets! Listen, you idiots—learn good sense!
 You blockheads—shape up! Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well, I’m telling you how to live at your best. 
My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth —
I can’t stand the taste of evil!
 You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth; not one syllable will be twisted or skewed. You’ll recognize this as true—you with open minds; truth-ready minds will see it at once.
 Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money, and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
 For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

12-21  “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street. 
 The Fear-of-God means hating Evil, whose ways I hate with a passion —
 pride and arrogance and crooked talk.
 Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.
 With my help, leaders rule,
 and lawmakers legislate fairly;
 With my help, governors govern, along with all in legitimate authority.
 I love those who love me; those who look for me find me.
 Wealth and Glory accompany me —
 also substantial Honor and a Good Name.
 My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary; the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.
 You can find me on Righteous Road — that’s where I walk —
 at the intersection of Justice Avenue,
 handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life—armloads of life!

22-31 “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—before he did anything else.
 I was brought into being a long time ago,
 well before Earth got its start.
 I arrived on the scene before Ocean, yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
 Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape, I was already there, newborn;
 long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons, and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather, and set Sky firmly in place, I was there. 
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
built the vast vault of Heaven,
and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
 When he drew a boundary for Sea,
posted a sign that said no trespassing,
 And then staked out Earth’s Foundations, I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
 Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
 always enjoying His company,
 Delighted with the world of things and creatures, happily celebrating the human family.

32-36 “So, my dear friends, listen carefully;
 those who embrace these my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
don’t squander your precious life.
 Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
 awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.
 When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God’s good pleasure.
 But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”

I want to know how to live. Wisdom. I want insight. Wisdom. I want sanity. Wisdom. I want knowledge and discretion. Wisdom. I want good counsel and common sense. Wisdom. I want virtue. Wisdom. I want to rule and legislate fairly. Wisdom. I want justice. Wisdom. I want armloads of life. Wisdom. I want the Lord to delight in me. Wisdom. I want a blessed life. Wisdom. I want a life that have purpose and meaning. Wisdom.

Friends, the Lord is inviting us to walk deeper with Him. The invitation of wisdom is the invitation to go deeper, walk more intimately with Him. His ways are not our ways; His ways are higher. I believe the Lord wants to renew many of our minds. As sons and daughters of the King I am convinced we are to think differently, behave differently and live differently. Why? Because we live by a different set of standards and are called to live from a place of heavenly perspective. It is what Jesus is talking about when He shares the parable of salt and light. You and I are called to be salt and light to a thirsty and darkened world. His wisdom shines His light. When we see things from His perspective, people notice. When we respond with grace and mercy, it confuses people. Why? Because we live from Kingdom and the foundation of His Kingdom was created with the Master Craftsman, Wisdom. Once again, I believe she, Wisdom, is beckoning us. She is saying, “Don’t ignore me! Listen to me! I am trying to help you! I see what’s really going on–don’t walk right by me thinking you can do this on your own!”

In the busyness of life, can you join me by taking some time to just listen to what the Spirit of God is whispering to you? His Wisdom resides within you. Let’s quiet the hustle and bustle of life and simply listen. What is He saying? Wisdom is the invitation to walk deeper with Him. I don’t know about you, but that is one invitation I am RSVP’ing to.

– Christa Pitcairn