The universal theme for all my prayers is wisdom. Wisdom to live my life, parent my children, make the right decisions, handle tough situations, etc. It’s the secret sauce of life. After all, everything could be made better with a little bit of wisdom.
But here’s what I discovered, according to Proverbs (chapters 8 & 9) wisdom is everywhere. It says she can be found:
- On the hilltop along the road.
- At the crossroads.
- By the gates at the entrance to the town.
- On the road leading in.
- From the heights overlooking the city.
Everywhere. And she’s not passively waiting or incognito, she’s actively trying to pursue us. The book of Proverbs describes her as:
- Shouting in the street.
- Crying out in the public square.
- Calling to the crowd.
- Calling to those gathered at the gate.
- Calling out.
- Crying aloud.
- Raising her voice.
Shouting, crying, calling, and raising all these words have a sense of urgency…even desperation. Like wisdom is doing everything in her power to get our attention. But, are we LISTENING?
A lesson from a movie
It reminds me of a scene from the 2003 movie Bruce Almighty where the titular character is driving down a highway asking God for direction in his life. He starts by asking God for a signal. As soon as he asks, he passes an electronic road signal that reads “Caution Ahead”. Totally missing it, Bruce then asks God for a sign.
Again, as soon as he asks, a construction truck cuts in front of him filled with road signs like Caution, Stop, Yield etc. However, he’s so angry the truck cut in front of him that he misses all the signs.
In desperation, Bruce asks God for a miracle. At this point, he winds up driving over a pothole filled with water, loses control of his car and hits a light pole.
Completely, frustrated by the turn of events and not hearing anything from God, Bruce angrily gets out of the car and accuses God of not answering. In the midst of his diatribe, his pager goes off. He doesn’t recognize the number and therefore, doesn’t call them back.
Bruce missed the signal, the sign, the miracle and even the call because he was too busy asking; not listening.
The parallels with wisdom
And that’s the case with wisdom. She’s everywhere.
- It’s the feeling that something’s not right.
- It’s seeing little red flags.
- It tells you the discomfort you’ve been feeling in your body isn’t normal, you need to check it out.
- It tells you there’s something more going on than meets the eye.
- It tells you, you could’ve handled that situation better.
- It tells you there’s more going on with your child than just a phase.
- Its insight and clarity.
Wisdom is always giving us signals and signs but sometimes we miss them, ignore them or regret we didn’t listen to them.
What I’m learning
It’s not just about asking God for wisdom because James 1:5 says when you ask, God will give it freely. God has no problem doling out wisdom, it’s everywhere. The question is: Are we listening?