Proverbs 8:1 Does not wisdom call?
    Does not understanding raise her voice?

Going back to yesterday’s reading, wisdom is a verbal stand-in for God. However, there is a huge caveat here: wisdom is not the same as intellect. There have been plenty of very intelligent, horrible criminals throughout history. The minute we start trusting our own intellect more than we trust the God who gave it to us, we are in deep trouble. This is a point I have seen made repeatedly: without a Creator, there is no basis for morality. There are atheists who insist otherwise, but their position does not stand logically. As I quoted from the very next chapter just yesterday, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) The path to wisdom is open to all who will acknowledge their Creator, and the more we know of Him, the better we understand everything else. Proverbs fits into the category of Wisdom Literature, and as such, it points us in very practical ways to the One who made all the rules. If we ignore Him, we won’t understand that the rules are for our good, and so will spend our lives trying to flout them. That’s tragic. We need to start from the awareness that we are created beings, not simply biological accidents, and then go from there. There are many things we will never understand fully in this life, but for those who know God, we have the assurance that “We will understand it better bye and bye.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

I was born with a high IQ, so I know the dangers of trusting your own intellect. It would have been all too possible for me to become a sociopath, even a mass murderer, and I am deeply grateful God protected me from that. If I get caught in the trap of “I am right,” essentially saying that I am the standard of rightness, I am in Jeffrey Dahmer territory, and that is horrific. I need the wisdom that is from God, that is, Jesus Christ Himself. (1 Corinthians 1:30) Genuine wisdom is humble and at the same time assured, because it rests in the One who created everything. I am right only when I agree with God, but if I genuinely agree with God, I needn’t hesitate, even when everyone around me disagrees. It has taken me a long time, but I finally know two things: God’s smart and I’m not, and there are countless things that are totally beyond my mental horsepower, whatever my IQ. That assurance has given me peace that I didn’t have before, because I know, on the deepest level, that I’m not in control, and that’s OK. The more I know God, the more I will trust and obey Him, and that is without question the best path.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for guiding in every way in terms of my confrontation with that brother yesterday, that I had been nervous about. Thank You for guiding both the circumstances and the words that were said. I pray that we would continue to grow as a church body, so that we may fulfill Your plans on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!