Wisdom: So Yesterday?

What is wisdom good for anyway? I don’t know about you, but whenever I think of wisdom, I think of a weird balding guy who beats a stick on the ground while uttering "huma huma" (like that old guy on "Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom"). Our culture doesn’t really value wisdom, does it? Today, we are encouraged to live to please ourselves. We are told that we don’t need wisdom, guidance, or God. We are taught that everything is under our control, even though we know it isn’t.
The world wasn’t always this way. In Jesus’ time (and before…and after), kings appointed "wise men" to, well, share their wisdom and help the king make good decisions regarding his people. The kings, however, often had the same attitude we do when it comes to advice. "That sounds great. Sure. I’ll think about that. That’s some really good advice right there." But really, we totally forgot all that was said because we were too busy checking out his weird teeth. Or we completely rebel: "Whatever. I’m a king, remember? I don’t need your advice!"
The truth is: we often throw away the good advice people give us. This gets serious when we throw away God’s advice. The people who wrote the book of Proverbs were, let’s face it, a lot wiser than you and me, because their hand was directed by God. They wrote what God is desperately trying to tell you. So…are you listening?
"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." (Proverbs 24:3-4) Obviously, God wants you to know just how valuable wisdom is – it’s a "rare and beautiful treasure"!
"A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength." (Proverbs 24:5) Who doesn’t want great power and strength? A mean, c’mon, guys! Who doesn’t want to be in charge of something, to be strong, successful, powerful, influential?
"…You need guidance, and for victory many advisers." (Proverbs 24:6) [We’ll take a closer look at this verse later.] Do you feel like God is bringing on the "duh" factor here? "Don’t you get it, My child? Don’t you see?" He can even assume the parental role here. "Son, how many times do I have to tell you?" God isn’t saying, "Wisdom is cool. It’s nice to have." Nope. God is clearly telling us: "You NEED wisdom! You NEED My guidance! We both know that you can’t make it on your own. You need ME!"
Wisdom isn’t "so yesterday". It wasn’t a passing trend. It’s not a fad. No, wisdom is here to stay. Everyone wants to make the best decisions for themselves, but some people have trouble accepting that God can and WANTS to guide you. When you’re bombarded by messaging saying "I got the power!", remember that your power comes through God. He won’t leave you, He’s a heck of a lot smarter than you, and He knows what’s coming next before you can even get a glimpse of it. Here comes God-Dad again: "Time to wise up, son!"