Chasing Wisdom

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Prov 2:6

Proverbs 2 is all about chasing wisdom. Seeking it. Hungering for it. Desiring it above all else. The chapter begins with an instruction to chase after wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. But, verse 6 indicates that it might not be the wisdom itself we are chasing after; it might just be that we must chase after God Himself, for He is the holder of wisdom.

It is that distinction that often catches me and causes me to trip. I do hunger for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. I want to grow in those things continually. But, sometimes I seek after them directly.

There is so much confusion in this world, including among Christians, as to what is the right wisdom. We have so many different doctrines, theologies, and statements of belief that sometimes even two people actively involved in the same body of believers cannot discuss certain issues without strong disagreement. My response is to frequently shut down, greatly limiting where I even listen for wisdom. It’s all too confusing, and I don’t want to run the risk of buying into the wrong thing. Better to just be cynical and suspicious of it all.

The reason I get to this point of frustration is because I am trying to chase after wisdom and knowledge directly instead of chasing after God, letting Him guard my heart from wrong, and finding His wisdom flowing through my heart because of my openness to Him (Prov 2:10).

Instead of being caught up in a doctrine, I am challenged to be caught up in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself. The result may be that I don’t perfectly line up with any doctrine, but I will be filled with the wisdom that comes directly from God. And that is far better.