The Pathway to Wisdom
Ladies, if you could have anything in the world, what would it be? A new car...a bigger car....a new house.....another child? All of those things would be nice, wouldn't they? But as I grow older, and my children grow older, I realize more and more that Solomon was right. It's WISDOM that we need!
"In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God...Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days." I Kings 3:5-13
When my children were all small, and I had 2 or 3 in diapers, I began to realize just how much I needed the wisdom of God to train my children for Him. Potty training, ABC's, phonics, Scripture memory ....how could I ever teach them all that they needed to know? As they grew, it became more and more apparent that I could NOT be a godly mother without that wisdom! Now that four of my children are adults, I need that wisdom more than ever! All of the decisions that they are facing are so major...so life-changing! Life callings, educational opportunities, ministry opportunities....oh my! I've found that it is an impossible task to be a godly wife and mother in these times. But God delights in impossibilities!
"Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom:
and with all thy getting, get understanding"
Proverbs 4:7
Let's examine Proverbs 2:1-5 and see what treasures we can find about wisdom.
"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God"
In order to have wisdom we must:
1-Receive the Word - (Vs 1a) In order to receive the Word of God, we must resist the world. If our minds are so filled with the fads, movies, literature, and trash of the world that we cannot concentrate on the Word of God, then it is time to cleanse our minds! How? By renewing our minds with His Word. (Romans 12:1-2). Resist the world by going on a fast. Set aside all that is a distraction to you and your family. We sometimes go on a "book fast" at our house, and read only the Word of God. You will be amazed at how much sharper your spiritual perception will be after spending a week in His Word!
2-Memorize the Word - (Vs 1b) Memorizing the Word together as a family is one thing that you can do that will strengthen your family harmony! Memorize passages or chapters such as Psalm 1. It has only 6 verses, but what a blessing that Scripture has been to our family. With young children, use hand motions to help them remember the verses. Quote them to people when you go visiting! Reward your children for Scripture memory! It is the foundation of their Christian lives!!
3 -Believe the Word - (Vs 2a) It is so vital that we teach our children the infallibility of Gods Word! There is no other source of Truth. It is the Word that gives us our laws and commands for godly living. Without it, there are no absolutes. We parents must establish this in the hearts of our children at an early age.
4-Apply the Word - (Vs 2b) Ladies, it is up to us as parents to make the Word of God applicable to our children. I still remember when our three oldest children were having trouble with unkindness. At Wisdom Search that morning, Rick told them that we were going to look for treasures on the tongue. How excited they were as we discovered verse after verse that would help them with their problem! "Whoso keepeth his mouth and tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." Proverbs 21:23 Teach your children that God's Word applies to our every day lives.
5 -Cry for wisdom - (Vs 3a) The word for "cry" in vs 3 is the Hebrew word qara' - to call out, cry out, to utter a loud sound. When we truly need the Lord's help, pride will not prevent us from crying out to Him. Seven years ago, our son, Jonathan, then age 7, almost drowned in a pool at Myrtle Beach. When my husband pulled him up from the bottom of the pool and we saw that he was blue and had no heart beat or pulse, nothing could have prevented us from crying out to God for him! God did answer prayer, and he is now 14 years old!
6 - Plead for wisdom - (Vs 3b) God tells us to lift up thy voice for understanding. We cannot find wisdom on our own! It only comes from the Lord, and through diligent search.
7 -Seek wisdom - (Vs 4a) If we value wisdom, we will seek for it as silver! It is as valuable as a lost treasure. What would we do if someone gave us a treasure map? God has given us His "treasure map" - His Word!
8 -Search for wisdom- (Vs 4b) We call our daily family Bible reading "Wisdom Search". Every day we search for treasure from the Word. Sometimes Bible reading is like eating dry cereal. We know that it is good for us, but it is not very exciting. But sometimes our Bible reading is like peaches and cream! The treasures of God's Word leap out at us and it is wonderful! The secret is to keep on! We never know when He will reveal His deepest treasures to us!
Rewards
Verse 5 tells us two rewards for doing these eight things! "Then shalt thou:
1) understand the fear of the Lord and 2) find the knowledge of God". Who wouldn't want to understand the fear of the Lord?! It is the most important thing we can teach our children. But that is a whole new Bible study! We'll save that for another time! I know that I want to find the knowledge of God. It is my heart's desire! How about you? Shall we walk this "Pathway to Wisdom" together?