IT'S THE NEW YEAR // GO GET WISDOM

Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forsake my words or swerve from them. 
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her and she will watch over you. 
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. 
Though is cost all you have, get understanding. 
Proverbs 4:5-7

It's the new year, and I'm sure you have a variety of different hopes or desires—whether or not you were risky enough to label them as resolutions—for what this year will hold for you. Hoping and planning and creating goals is very important for us as human beings created with a drive to live fully and accomplish something; we are imbedded with a desire to work hard and thrive as our devotion and worship to God. 

An honest list like this might look familiar around the new year. And with the right heart, and the right motives, there is nothing wrong with any of these check list items. Pursuing these things can help us lead productive and healthy lives of worship on a day-to-day basis:
- Get fit
- Get healthy
- Get more organized
- Get more done
- Get less stressed
- Get a promotion
- Get started on the project you've wanted to do forever

But as I read through Proverbs 4 on wisdom and understanding this last week, there was a repeated word that stood out to me for the first time — a word similar to the words on this resolution list: get. Proverbs says to get wisdom, get understanding. Solomon wrote so beautifully, and yet so pointedly to the reader about the wisdom and understanding the Lord wants for us to receive. It's right there waiting for us in the word of God, and he calls us to go GET it. 

Wisdom is one of those things that feels intangible or out of reach, like a lofty idea or the old, wise hero you hope to be like one day. We associate wisdom with age or book smarts, and don't feel like we can claim wisdom for ourselves; yet Solomon urges us to reach for wisdom and to gain understanding through listening to and heeding the word of God. One doesn't need to go through a smattering of difficult circumstances and years of bumps and bruises to gain wisdom. 

Solomon also writes many other strong actions words in this chapter regarding wisdom: listen to my words, cherish wisdom, embrace it, hold on to it, guard your heart, pay attention, turn your ear to me, keep my words, fix your gaze, keep your foot from evil. 

If you read that last sentence, I am happy to let you know that you have just gained some wisdom. The word of the Lord is rich with life tools that protect us and help us walk upright. There is another portion of this chapter that stuck out to me in verses 20-22: 

My son, pay attention to what I say;

turn your ear to my words. 

Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 

for they are life to those who find them

and health to one's whole body.

I can't help but think that the Lord wants to see us pursue spiritual, mental and physical health for ourselves. We have access to the greatest wisdom and understanding that one could seek, wisdom that will not only guard and encourage our hearts but also bring health to our entire being.  

What if the frontrunners on your hopes for the new year were: 
- Get wisdom
- Get understanding
and the rest of your list started happening as a result of living in the wisdom and strength of God?

I encouraged our worship team last night to be pursuing and praying for wisdom individually and as a team. We prayed for our worship ministry in 2016, and for the spiritual and relational health for all of those who uniquely participate. We prayed that the Lord would continue to grow, deepen and expand our worship ministry as we learn his wisdom and guidance throughout our pursuit of him. 

I encourage you, also, to read through Proverbs as a tangible way to receive the Lord's wisdom; underline the areas of wisdom that seem to resonate with you the most this coming year—be it relationships, finances, purity of heart and mind, or living with honesty and integrity. And if you don't already have some goals for the year, perhaps reading through Proverbs can spur on some ideas for you and your family! 

Be encouraged, and go get wisdom. 

It's waiting for you. 


Jamie 
jrobison@b4church.org