Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them,
    but the wise listen to advice.

I almost didn’t keep reading, after hitting this first verse in today’s passage. Not all advice is wise, or righteous, or honest, but a refusal to listen is certainly foolish. At the same time, always seeking more advice and failing to decide on a course and act on it is if anything even more foolish. Everyone is given a certain degree of intellect, along with a free will, and God expects us to use those faithfully. However, we never have all the information about anything, and indecision can be a terrible trap. This verse isn’t telling us to be pushovers, doing only what others tell us, but it is advocating for humility. Of course, the wisest thing is to listen to God and do whatever He says, but He does speak through the people around us a lot of the time. It’s not good to always be agonizing over whether you’re right, but it’s also not good to always assume you’re right. We are to be good stewards of the intellect and understanding God has given us, but always remember that God knows best, and be willing to listen to Him however and through whomever He speaks to us.

This verse hit me so hard because I have often displayed the sort of foolishness it talks about! However, I have grown, and for many years now my days have consistently begun with actively listening to God in a time of reading the Bible and praying. Particularly since learning this SOAP system (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) I have had assurance that God does indeed speak to me, which has made it easier to listen to Him about all sorts of specific directions as well. The older I get, the more I realize I don’t know, which is very good for humility! I do need discernment in choosing my advisors, because some certainly aren’t worth my time or attention. However, God has at times spoken to me through some surprising vessels, and I’m not to discount anyone. These days it is very popular to ask questions of AI chatbots, but that strikes me as very dangerous. They can be sources of information, but that information has been shown to not always be accurate. At the very least, all they can really do is regurgitate what others have said, with no spark of divine wisdom. I am to seek God, first and foremost, and be sensitive and obedient to whatever He tells me, however He does it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You do guide me, even – or particularly – when Your guidance is surprising. Help me seek out wise advisors and recognize them when You show them to me, so that Your will may be done by us all, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!