When I need food, I go to a grocery store or a restaurant. When I need medicine I go to a pharmacy. When I need to build or repair something, I go to a hardware store. In short, when I am in need of something, I go to where that something is. This sounds simple, but when it comes to wisdom, knowledge and understanding we often find ourselves perplexed and at a loss. Perhaps it is because the first place we should go to for these things is many times our last resort. How many times have we gone to our knees in prayer and pleaded with God for wisdom and understanding only because we have exhausted all other avenues of comprehending? Too often our turning to God is brought on by desperation because we feel we have nowhere else to go. This proverb states frankly that the Lord is the source for all these things. It is not a cliché, or a pat religious answer. It is a statement of fact. The real issue is whether or not we truly believe it. This is a truth that requires faith and dependence on the invisible, and that is tough for us. We would rather spin our wheels exploring tangible avenues of gaining insight than to bring a matter before our Lord in prayer, and in faith search His word and wait for His answer, explanation or admonition to come. We are much more comfortable with the things within our control even though they are fruitless or inadequate, than we are depending on that which is infinitely bigger and wiser than we are. Proverbs 26:12 warns, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Father, I confess that I have often been a fool. Many times I have come to you last when I should have come to you first. Please forgive me. I don’t want to be wise in my own eyes. I don’t want to rely on earthly wisdom and understanding. I need Your mind and wisdom. Your word says that what I need comes from You, so right now I am depending on You for guidance, insight, clarity, and understanding. Teach me and keep me teachable. In Jesus’ name, amen.