Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PROVERBS 2:1-8
My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands.

Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
For the LORD grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.

The good spiral
There’s a lot of crying out going on in recent verses. Wisdom cries out to me and now Daddy Solomon challenges me to cry out for wisdom. She extends her willing arms in my direction as chapter one ends and, as chapter two opens, I am not to saunter in her direction but to pour as much energy in her embrace as I do in making a living.

Wisdom is a cycle of two actions feeding one each other. In fact there seems to be two cycles happening here. Wisdom seeks me and I seek her, and wisdom teaches me to fear the Lord and the Lord grants me wisdom. Rather than negative cycles where the parties feed unhealthy and destructive spirals, by pursuing wisdom I enter into a spiral of deepening understanding, knowledge, common sense, integrity, and fear of God.

I enjoyed a summer day at a water park in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains some years back. One of my favorite rides was a water spiral. I climbed to the top of a huge funnel into which water gushed and spiraled out a hole at the bottom. I rode that spiral several times!

I wish wisdom were a ride in which my only part is to passively ride. Instead, there have been many times in my pursuit of wisdom and my deep respect for God – a whole-hearted commitment to please him – that understanding has eluded me. Decisions have confronted me that, to this day, I am unsure I handled wisely, though I did my best.

I think there are two responses I need to make to these verses. First, I need to affirm my commitment to the lifelong pursuit of wisdom. Second, I must exercise faith in the midst of difficult choices, especially those where there seem to be only bad and worse options, that the Lord is granting wisdom even when I do not experience an obvious insight.

God of Wisdom, I need more of you, more of your wisdom. I commit the coming year to pursuing the wisdom that pursues me and will trust you to grant it in each choice I make. - Mike Leamon

A shield around me
I imagine Daniel thinking about the proverb “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,” as he stood before the King about to be thrown into the lion’s den. Where was God’s shield now? I know there are times in my life when I question God’s protection. How quickly my faith turns to fear when I am confronted with the possibility of harm and danger.

There is no guarantee that I will not face danger or be kept from harm because I walk with integrity. Instead, I am given the assurance that God is my shield. God’s presence is there with us protecting us but not always in the way we imagine. God did not protect Daniel from the lion’s den; he protected him in the lion’s den.

I try my best to walk with integrity before God, but I am not always successful. I still struggle with sin and at times fail. I am glad God does not struggle like I do. I am glad God’s shield is not worn down by weariness, or over commitment. I am glad God is my shield and I don’t have to construct my own shield. In trusting God, I find the freedom to keep on going even when the arrows of accusation come flying. If I am right before God, I need not fear the lions.

Thank you God for protecting me with your shield of salvation. I am confident in the future and in my standing before you not because of what I have done, but because of who you are and what you have done. Help me to trust you during the times of attack and fear. - Dan Jones