Alright, who wants wisdom? I see those hands!

We are all looking for guidance with life situations. Teacher and author, Jen Wilken, describes wisdom as the ability to take the facts we have and make our best decision.

The key verse in the book of Proverbs says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10a NIV). This gives a clue as to where wisdom begins—the fear of the Lord.

To understand the fear of the Lord, let’s observe two Bible characters.

First, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. When God called Isaiah to preach His message to His people, Isaiah most likely saw a vision in the temple.

In it, Isaiah saw the Lord in all His holiness and glory. Recognizing his own sinful ways, Isaiah responded, “‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips… and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty’” (Isaiah 6:5 NIV).

Now let’s look at Peter just before he became one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter and his fishing partners had caught nothing all night. When Jesus challenged him to cast out one more time, they got a whopping catch of a lifetime!

Immediately, Peter knew Jesus was the Messiah! “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:8 NIV). That’s the fear of the Lord. It was followed with confession and repentance.

If we desire wisdom, let’s emulate the examples of Isaiah and Peter. Begin with an awe-filled reverence for the Lord. Worship and honor His holiness, recognizing that His ways are far above ours. This is the beginning of wisdom.