Wisdom is a Shelter

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

When surrounded by harsh environments, we have a shelter in God – wisdom that feeds our soul and enables us to press on one more day.

Scripture of the Day:

Job 38:36

“Who has put wisdom in the heart, or has imparted understanding to the mind?”

Ecclesiastes 7:12

“For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.”

James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Reading the story of Job from the perspective of man-centeredness, it feels a bit as if Job is a lab rat in the tests of life. How would he respond to life’s adversities? What would his default coping mechanism be? His philosophical friends all had antidotes that he was not taking. He was irritated. He has done what he thought was right in God’s eyes. His lot was not what he had expected.

Ever felt that way? As if you did not deserve the suffering you find yourself in? Job understands. I certainly have compassion on him, too. Compassion is a good thing as long as it is not clouded by the pursuit of comfort.

I really admire much of what Job’s confidants had to share. Deep stuff. But the youngest one of them all nailed it. He saw the flaw in Job’s reasoning. Job questioned and doubted God and his own self-righteousness got in the way.

Where do we run when we have no answers? When life simply hurts? Probably to anything that we think will provide relief. The typical prescriptions people take to numb their pain vary widely. Some run to medication, some to entertainment. Others to food. Still others to harmful vices. Why? People want to avoid pain. We don’t like uncertainty and don’t like not being “in the know”. We want to understand why hardship has befallen us, but we go to the wrong source to find out, or we ask the wrong questions.

A lot of life is spent questioning. We wonder how we got into certain circumstances or why things happen. Our minds are blown by the greatness of the wisdom of God, yet we question it. And God always has an answer.

When we are faced with disillusionment, sorrow, or any suffering that we cannot comprehend, wisdom is a shelter, a place of refuge. We don’t typically think of running to wisdom when life is hard. But it is wisdom that sets us free from the bondage of self-preoccupation and gives us the ability to see past the problem at hand.

Wisdom affects our outlook and gives us vision beyond what lies in front of us. Instead of the pursuit of relief, we pursue God’s glory. Instead of blame, we wonder why we have any blessings at all. In the moment, we might not understand the purpose of some things we encounter, but in the end, we begin to see that as we draw near to our God in the crises of life, we know Him more. Our God created us for relationship with Him – not a perfect life without Him.

When surrounded by harsh environments, we have a shelter in wisdom from God – wisdom that feeds our soul and enables us to press on one more day. Protection from choices made in folly, wisdom invites us to discover a path that is not problem-free, but laiden with grace and understanding.

It is understanding from God that helps us to be able to receive and grasp the lessons life teaches. God beckons us to come and ask for wisdom from Him. He will help us to understand and give us grace to endure. Like Job, we will not understand until we come to God – not doubting Him, but seeking His face. His purposes are always perfect and His plans always good.

Thank You, God, for the gift of wisdom. As we seek You and Your will, help us to trust You and patiently wait on You. You are good all the time.