Fearfully Secure God’s Wisdom and Understanding – FIRST!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For through wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

Proverbs 9:10-12 NIV

How many of you know that life is about choices? The older you get the more choices you’ll have to make; some choices will be easy, and others not so easy.

As a parent, when a young child goes towards a hot stove, immediately you stop them with “No, that’s hot!” And no matter how many times you tell them it’s hot, they still want to touch it. It’s not until they touch it themselves that they realize what you’ve been telling them all along: that the stove was hot and that their bad choice leads to them being burned.

It’s not anything wished upon a child, but it is a lesson learned.

Today’s scripture tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and if you know the Holy One you will be wise; that wise choices lead to a long life of good things, but bad things will happen to those that are unwise.

A recent event that comes to mind is the novel coronavirus, which produces the disease known as COVID-19. Some people feel our world leaders and local officials did a phenomenal job in the handling of this pandemic; others feel things could have been managed differently.

I’m no politician. However, I can’t help but wonder if God’s wisdom and understanding were fearfully requested – FIRST – in the choices they made?

To fearfully obtain God’s wisdom and understanding does not mean doing so with a fear that paralyzes or renders you helpless, but rather it’s a fear that says you trust Him with all your heart, and you acknowledge Him in all things. It draws you closer to Him through prayer and reading His word daily and you began to see His plans and purposes unfold, as you come to a deeper
understanding of Who He is.

This regular and consistent time with God should lead you to say, “The more I know Him, the more I want to know him” or “…the more I want to get to know him.”

You understand the significance of your wise choices because you begin to experience a long life of good things. Whereas the one who makes unwise choices, suffers alone in the bad things that happen to them; they pay the penalty for being unwise.

This day, search your heart and ask yourself, do you prefer the benefits of the one who is wise, or the misery of the one who is unwise?

After all, the choice is yours.

Prayer: God, please forgive me for not seeking You and Your infinite wisdom and understanding first. At this point and going forward, I pledge to trust You and fearfully pray and read Your word daily.