Wisdom

5Get wisdom, get understanding;

do not forget my words or turn away from them.

6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

love her, and she will watch over you.

7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get ^a wisdom.

           Though it cost all you have, ^b get understanding.   Proverbs 4:5-7
Words from what we consider the wisest man that ever lived. Here Solomon is telling us to get wisdom above all else. Though it cost everything you have, get understanding.

7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 

8Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. 9Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”  2 Chronicles 1:7-10. We probably remember the story told of two prostitutes coming before Solomon told in 1 Kings chapter 3. The two women were living in the same house and each had a child within days of each other.  During the night one mother had accidentally smothered her child, she took her dead child and traded places with the other mothers live child. In the morning the mother realized when she looked at it, it wasn't her baby. The mother took her case to King Solomon and he ruled cut the baby in half and give half to each mother. One mother was fine with the judgement, if I can't have the baby neither can she.  The real mother was willing to give up her child that it might live. Solomon then changed his ruling and gave the child to his real mother.  This is given as an example of Solomon's wisdom.  In this Proverb we are told to get wisdom above all else. It will guide us through life. Knowing how to make good judgments, good decisions will watch over us in life.  I can think of so many times in life when I made bad decisions. We often learn to make good decisions from the experience of making bad decisions. I wonder what life could have been like if I had followed Solomon's example and had asked for wisdom early on. I feel I could have avoided so much trouble in my life. I remember clearly asking a minister about marrying a young woman. The minister knew the young woman from the neighborhood and that is why I was asking him. His response to me was you have a good heart but you need a wise heart. I am not sure it was his exact words but something similar. I didn't marry the woman and years later I was very thankful that I didn't.  But still I didn't use the same care always.  I was warned twice about two of the women I married. I didn't listen and I suffered heart ache because of it. I would be much further along in life if I had used wisdom and had asked God and waited on God for his direction. So much of life, I was impulsive and did what I wanted to do at the time. Wisdom, seeking God for direction could have save me much trouble. Not only in marriage decisions but in financial decisions that I have made. After making so many mistakes in my life I can see where if I had just listened, or even sought advice from an expert, I could have made better decisions. A lot of the problem financially is wanting things now and not waiting for delayed gratification. The Bible has answers for life if we will seek it and listen to God. God the creator of the universe and has the knowledge to keep the universe working forever, does he not know us and able to guide us in what is best for us?  We are his greatest creation. All of our days are known by him before one of them happens.
 10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Fear of the Lord is respect. This does not mean we cower down before God because we are afraid he is going to squash us if we do wrong. It is an understanding that God is sovereign. God is loving and kind, and gave his son to pay for our sins. To respect God, we understand that he holds life in his hands. He knows what is best for us. God will not give us what will destroy us. Sometimes I believe he just sits back and lets us go our own way, knowing the trouble that is before us. God is able to help us if we will just ask. So often we think we know better. I didn't know Trump, what I saw was an arrogant man, but God saw that he is what this country needed. I am so thankful God answered our prayers and gave us Trump for our President.  I was on a road trip during the 2015 Presidential election of 2015 and I saw sign after sign where ever I went, pray for our nation. Sometimes it was on a church billboard, or a sign in the yard, but over and over I saw signs pointing to the fact that Christians were praying more than we had in many years for that election. I know I did, and I believe many others did also from all the signs I saw on that road trip.  I would have picked a different President. Trump was too arrogant, I saw others that seemed to have more grace and just looked more Presidential to me. But am I thankful for answered prayer. God is a sovereign God and he can give us what we need. We needed a very strong individual to deal with the swamp as we call it in Washington. After the fact I see no other man could have dealt with the swamp as successfully as Trump has. We need to continue to pray for God's direction in our personal lives and for our nation. Our nation is still in trouble, we need God's help to move forward. I am thankful for a sovereign God that knows what is best for us and answers prayers accordingly. God bless, LVZ.