Hearing Wisdom’s Voice Above It All
“Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate...” -Proverbs 1:20-21 (NLT)
EDITOR’S NOTE:
This article was originally published in the Word Life Blog on January 23 2015.
Enjoy! -Mica
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Have you ever strained to hear a familiar voice in a crowded room? Maybe you were at a party and couldn’t find your best friend. Or perhaps you were searching for your spouse among the myriads of people at a big social event. And I’m sure we can all remember one time or another when we lost our moms at the mall or the park. What a scary moment that was for both our mothers and our little five-year-old selves!
Whenever you’ve lost sight of someone and were searching for him or her, do you remember how you found that person? You might have caught a glimpse of her bright red sweater or his tall, lanky frame. But more than likely, it was their voice that somehow drew you to them. You might have heard her unique laugh, his deep-baritone sound, or her high-pitched chatter. Because you were so in tune with this person’s voice, you could hear him or her over almost anything else. The grinding beats of the music, the tinkling china, the clamor from hundreds of conversations…nothing could drown out the sound of the one whom you were searching.
Discovering wisdom is much like trying to find a dear friend in a crowded room. Wisdom is always present, but we have to know her voice in order to find her.
In our busy lives, so much is vying for our attention these days—entertainment, social media, international chaos, and distractions of every kind. We have responsibilities at church, in school, with the family, and on the job. Sometimes, life can simply be too overwhelming, and we don’t even know where to begin! We often wonder how we could ever find wisdom amid life’s deafening noise.
The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom, but only those who know what wisdom looks like and sounds like will ever be able to find her or know what to do once they’ve encountered her. If we want to successfully locate wisdom and engage her, then we need to know her. We need to understand how she functions, what she looks like, what she says, and how to respond to her. Only then will we be able to hear her voice above the crowds.
Finding wisdom isn’t difficult at all. In fact, God gave us an entire instruction manual called Proverbs to help us walk in the ways of wisdom. In the first chapter alone, we see the following four crucial elements of wisdom.
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1. WISDOM SPEAKS TO ALL, BUT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE TUNED INTO HER WILL HEAR HER VOICE
In verse 20, the writer describes wisdom as a lady crying out in the middle of a busy intersection. When life is converging on us in all directions, wisdom is not silent. She’s shouting at the top of her lungs for us to hear her, but if we’re not tuned in to her through God’s Word and His Spirit, we’ll miss every word she’s saying. We won’t even be able to recognize her voice!
When life is converging on us in all directions, wisdom is not silent. She’s shouting at the top of her lungs for us to hear her, but if we’re not tuned in to her through God’s Word and His Spirit, we’ll miss every word she’s saying.
If we want to discern wisdom in the crossroads of decision, we must stay tuned in to her frequency by daily feeding ourselves on God’s Word. That’s where the quiet voice of wisdom becomes so familiar to us. If we’ve failed to develop our spiritual sensitivity by neglecting God’s Word, then we won’t hear wisdom calling our names when we need her most.
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2. WISDOM OFTEN SAYS THINGS WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR
Verse 23 says, “Turn to me and receive my gentle correction; Watch and I will pour out my spirit on you; I will share with you my wise words in order to redirect your lives.” When wisdom speaks, she will often point out our mistakes and correct us. Her gentle reproof may not be what we had anticipated, but this is what makes wisdom all the more valuable to us.
Because God loves us, He does correct us…a lot. Now most of us who have studied the Bible in depth know that God’s correction isn’t harmful. He doesn’t cause sickness, disease, or bad things. However, He will confront us on issues, point out our sin, and require us to change. This is just part of growing up in Christ.
Sometimes wisdom’s correction comes in the form of another’s rebuke. We may complain about receiving criticism from others, but if we’re honest, most of what we think is criticism is actually correction. We may not like it—in fact, we may HATE it—but if we want to follow wisdom, then we must learn to accept correction and adjust accordingly.
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3. THE PENALTIES FOR REJECTING WISDOM ARE STEEP, BUT THE BENEFITS OF ACCEPTING HER ARE LUCRATIVE
Verses 24-33 of this chapter go on to explain the differing outcomes for those who reject wisdom and those who accept it. While those who allow wisdom to guide and correct them live in peace and safety, those who refuse to listen to her counsel will be struck by calamity. In fact, verse 31 says those who dismissed wisdom “will eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices"!
Disregarding wisdom and not holding her in high esteem in our lives eventually leads to confusion, disaster, trouble, and calamity. And the worst tragedy of all is that our troubles would be avoided had we only honored wisdom in the first place!
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4. WISDOM IS A DAILY CHOICE
Verse 29 best sums up the power of choice in regards to wisdom: “They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.” Wisdom is a choice God presents to every single one of us. We can either choose to go God’s way—the way of Wisdom—or the way of our own choosing. Our own way may look the most exciting and glamourous, but in the end, it will only lead to trouble. Later, when we wind up in a mess, we will only have ourselves to blame, because we deliberately chose to reject wisdom’s counsel.
Thankfully, God made it easy for us to choose wisdom on a daily basis. First Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Jesus has been made unto us wisdom and redemption. If we’re born-again, we have God’s wisdom living inside us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Walking in wisdom is no longer an issue of access; it’s a decision of the will and an issue of the heart.
If you’re a born-again believer, God’s Wisdom is speaking to you, walking with you, and living inside you!
If you’ve been questioning wisdom’s way or have been searching for wisdom’s words, be encouraged! Wisdom is speaking to you, walking with you, living inside you. All you have to do is attune your ear to her and follow her instructions. If you will avail yourself to wisdom, you will hear her, know her, and find her!
If you’ve enjoyed this article, I’d love to hear from you! Email your comments to mica@micaolinghouse.co.
Also, if you need prayer or would like to receive a Bible free of charge, please let me know. Our ministry, New Life Metro Ministries International, would love to pray for you and send you a Bible!
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