Seek Wisdom

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her And happy are all who retain her. ~ Proverbs 3:13-18

As we go through life, we will have countless decisions to make. We need wisdom to make the right decisions. We often feel like we don't have enough wisdom to make the right choices and we grow impatient because wisdom doesn't seem to come fast enough when we need it. Sometimes we may think that God is holding out on us and just doesn't want to show us the way.

The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom. In Proverbs 3:13-18, we are shown just how important wisdom is. The Amplified version of verse 13 says, "Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences]." As we read all in the book of Proverbs, it is very clear that wisdom is something that we should desire. It is also clear that it is God's will for us to obtain this wisdom. We would never be instructed to seek after something in God's Word if He didn't intend for us to find it.

Verse 13 says that we gain understanding by drawing it forth from God's Word and life's experiences. As we go through life and face all kinds of situations, we are then able to apply the Word of God. We learn. We grow. We gain wisdom and understanding that we never would have achieved had we not gone through this certain situation.

Think about it this way...someone is training you for a job and they show you every possible thing they can think of. However, a situation arises that they did not instruct you how to handle. When the situation arises, then you are able to go back to the person who trained you and ask them what you are supposed to do in that particular situation. Now you have gained wisdom and understanding. Had that situation never have come up, you never would have gained the knowledge of what to do. If this same situation ever comes up again, you will know exactly how to handle it.

As we gain wisdom, we are not only equipped to handle the situations in our own lives but we are also equipped to help others as they go through those same situations. Everything we learn in life can be used to help others. You may be facing a situation right now and don't understand why you're having to go through it. Maybe there's someone coming behind you that needs the wisdom that you are gaining right now. Don't get discouraged and don't think God has left you. In the midst of your darkest hour He is raising you up to help bring someone else out of their dark hour. Be patient and gain the wisdom that He wants you to get. This will be priceless information that will sustain you, as well as others, for the rest of your days here on this earth!