Image from youtube.com
Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’ (Proverbs 1:20-33)
A good and wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Friend! May our time in the Lord bring us the wisdom we need to face each day's opportunities and blessings. May our wisdom expand our knowledge and our boundaries to seek to serve the Lord in new and wondrous ways. As we pray, pray for wisdom, for it is found in the Lord God. As we pray, let us pray for the family of Emily Neuse, who passed away in her sleep two nights ago. May God's comfort be with her family. Prayers for Ms. Joyce Harris who undergoes back surgery this morning in San Antonio. May the surgery bring her healing and relief from pain is our prayer. And for Ms. Jo Ann Keck, who underwent surgery and is now in rehabilitation at The Heights facility in Gonzales.
If we are to believe our eyes, wisdom comes from a small screen that almost everyone seems to be glued to these days. At least, that's the appearance we seem to give others as we constantly check our phones. "Is there a new text?" "Has someone responded to my post?" Yes, some do check for prayer concerns and updates; but imagine if we were to spend as much time with our Bibles as we do our phones how much wiser we would be? Yes, all who read this are reading it from a screen, but read the opening verses of today's passage again. Wisdom desires to be found! And as Solomon writes this, he makes wisdom take female form. "She raises her voice" in the city squares. "At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks..." And her message is the same: Take me and be wise or ignore me and be foolish. She has much to teach us; while scoffers are content with what they know yet are shocked when their folly brings them failure and despair. Now is the time to seek wisdom while we still can; the day may soon come when wisdom will not be found. In all of this, the fear of the Lord should be our desire; to love God in a respectful and awesome way, learning from Him all that we need to be better people.
Please don't get me wrong, we do need our phones but interesting to note that one verse that says, "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices." Devices is an interesting, timeless word. Perhaps today is a good day to look around, listen to people, re-read the passage for today and to make our prayer be, "Lord, grant me Your wisdom so that I may be who You want me to be."
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of wisdom. It comes from You and I seek to have it. Let me seek more wisdom in Your word and in my prayers as I listen to You after I say amen. There is much to learn and in that will come the answers that I seek and the service that I should share. I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Put down the device long enough to be wise!
Eradio Valverde
