Wisdom & Understanding

I love the big summary statements in the bible. The ones that definitively say “do this, not that” in a way that applies to all of the situations in my life. These are precepts I want to write on my heart and on the hearts of my children so that they will not be forgotten.

One of my most persistent prayers is that God would give me wisdom to choose well – to follow Him above all else and to understand what I see. To know where He is working and join in.

…and I found this today…

And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Proverbs 28:28

To fear the Lord is to revere Him – to acknowledge that He is above us & humbly accept that He knows more than us. This is an active word; not simply passive honour, but daily acts of devotion prompted by a humble spirit. For me, laying down my worry about what I will do, where I will go, and how I will get there and instead trusting that He will lead me is reverence. Being still is reverence.

And then this: shun evil.

Shun (verb): persistently avoid, ignore, or reject through antipathy or caution.

Oh boy… do I ever need a reminder about this one. Because evil doesn’t look evil all the time. Evil can look like a harsh comment, a grumbling spirit, criticism instead of praise, pressure to please, idolizing All. The. Things… this list could go on. There is no lack of evil lurking in my life.

Lord, I pray that I would seek you first when I worry, when I question, or when I doubt the path I am on so that your wisdom is my only guide and I pray that I would turn away from anything that might deter me from following you – any destructive action, thought, or word. Amen.