A Road Worth Traveling

What if you had a travel plan – one that would allow you to move forward in life? And what if the places you were going would lead you to wisdom? Would you want to travel those roads? I imagine a lot of us would like to take a trip like that!

Fortunately, we have a Heavenly Father who saw fit to provide us a guidebook for traveling down such roads. He gives us direction for life inside the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is a guide that can help us navigate every area of life – relationships, family, work, government, community and more.

God gives us direction for life inside the book of Proverbs. This book is a guide that can help us navigate every area of life! #proverbs #wisdom #guideforlife #journeytoimperfect Click To Tweet

Proverbs takes life and succinctly puts it into categories of right and wrong. It gives us instructions on how to pursue good and avoid evil. This wonderful book in the Bible has a way of condensing wisdom down into short sayings and thoughts that are easy to remember. This makes Proverbs an excellent travel plan for life.

 Wisdom

The purpose of Proverbs is evident – to know wisdom. Proverbs gives us a very practical type of knowledge that can be used for living life in truth and Godliness. The knowledge we find in Proverbs helps us understand the ways of the world and gives us observations about how life works. It is not so much about how intelligent a person is as it is about understanding the truth and applying it to life situations.

The beautiful thing is that the wisdom found in Proverbs is no mystery. It’s right there in black and white for everyone to read. The Hebrew root word for “wisdom” that is used over and over in Proverbs is “chokmah” which means “skillful application of knowledge.”

God wants our lives to be shaped by the wisdom He reveals to us in Proverbs. This kind of understanding is powerful for living a God-centered life. It’s something we all should seek, and once we find it, we need to keep paying attention. We have the promise that when we search for this God-kind of wisdom, we will find it.

I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me.
Prov 8:17 NKJV

Guideposts for Finding Wisdom

How many times have you wondered how to handle a situation you run across in life? Have you ever had questions about how to talk to someone, how to handle temptation, how to raise your kids, how to set a good example, or how to move forward in life?

Fortunately, God provides us some specific directions inside the book of Proverbs that will help us start traveling the roads that lead to wisdom. We’ll find them in the second chapter of Proverbs.

Proverbs 2:1-5 says this:

My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,

So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;

Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,

If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5 NKJV

If you read through this passage, you can find 5 guideposts pointing you in the right direction. God’s wisdom is for all believers. It’s right there waiting for us, stored up even, a vast treasure!

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. Proverbs 2:7, NKJV

In verse one we see our first two guideposts.

 Receive God’s words and Treasure His Commands 

First, we are told to receive God’s words. We do this by reading the Bible. When we read the Bible, we begin to see before our eyes God’s nature, His thoughts, and His commands. The book of Proverbs is full of direction from God meant to help us navigate life in the right way.

As we read these words, we are to treasure them. The kind of treasuring here means to cherish. We are to hold God’s word in our hearts and let it sink in. We should be willing to learn and grow and ask for understanding as we keep His word close and consider what He is teaching us through it.

Verse 2 shares the next guideposts.

Listen to Wisdom and Apply Understanding

We listen. When a person listens, they are paying attention. If we listen well, we closely observe so that we gain full comprehension of what is actually being said.

And what are we listening to as we read the book of Proverbs? Wisdom. The kind of wisdom that comes straight from God. This wisdom is especially useful for problem-solving in life. It’s the kind of thing that will help us learn to act wisely and deal with situations God’s way.

Applying our heart to understanding simply means to seriously reflect on what we read, learn, and hear from God’s word. We mustn’t skip the steps of taking time to interpret and observe what His word is saying.

It’s easy to focus on finding the answer at the expense of understanding the truth. We want an easy answer right now, don’t we? But what God wants to say to us takes time and often isn’t easy. However, when we read His word daily and then take time to really study it and apply it, we are setting ourselves up for a life well lived.

It's easy to focus on finding the answer at the expense of understanding the truth. #wisdom #proverbs #guideforlife #journeytoimperfect Click To Tweet

Verse 3 opens our eyes to something that is very important to remember.

Ask for Discernment

This passage actually tells us to cry out and lift our voices for discernment and understanding. Can you hear the urgency and emphasis on finding wisdom it in that wording?

It is very important to ask the Lord for discernment. The truth is clearly there, but our sin and humanity get in the way of hearing it. It’s imperative that we ask the Lord to help us discern what we read and hear so that we truly understand what He is telling us. It’s too easy to make excuses or explain away our shortcomings.

Because of this, Proverbs is not an easy book to read. When we read it with discernment, we will most certainly see areas of our lives that will need work. If we can set aside the rush to get to the answers and determine to lay aside the things that hinder us, (Hebrews 12:1-2) we will find that the truth slows us down and helps us to have the proper pace as we travel the roads of life.

Verse 4 gives us the final guidepost.

Seek Wisdom

Here the Lord tells us the obvious – we need to keep searching. Becoming wise is a life-long journey. There’s always a depth to our spiritual travels. We never get to the bottom of the wisdom of God. It’s vast and rich. Can you imagine that He is so willing to freely share that wisdom with us today?

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:5 NKJV

When we genuinely desire Godly wisdom, we can be sure we will find it. We will begin to understand how to live life and make choices in God’s way. We’ll take the right paths. They’ll not always be the easy ones, but all along the way, we’ll find our minds renewed one verse at a time. Over time, we’ll be better able to navigate life in a way that is pleasing to God.

Be sure to join me next time for some thought-provoking questions and a free printable. The questions will give you direction and help you navigate any difficult situation!

Blessings,
Leslie

The post How to Find Wisdom for Life first appeared at www.journeytoimperfect.com.

*This post may be linked in the following places. Click through to find more hope and encouragement!  Cheerleaders of Faith / Sitting Among Friends / Moments of Hope / Salt and Light / Heart Encouragement Thursday / Fresh Market Friday / Faith and Friends  / Grace and Truth