How fear leads to wisdom
Hunter McGee
We all fear something, whether it’s spiders, clowns, cats, failing, or finances. We all have something that causes a direct fear in us that causes us to make a decision. The way we handle our decisions when faced with fear will give us a perspective on how wise we are. We all want to be wise in how we handle decision making, but what does it take to gain wisdom?
Proverbs 9:10 says the fear of God is where wisdom starts, but what does it mean to have a healthy fear of God? Why does it matter? How does fear lead to wisdom when the world tells us that courage leads to wisdom?
Fear God, Gain Wisdom
Wisdom begins with knowing God. To know God is not just to know the facts about Him, but to respect Him and have a relationship with Him. Wisdom is more than knowing a lot; it is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life. The foundation of wisdom is found in fearing God. Fearing God doesn’t mean that we spend all day being afraid of God. Fearing God means to honor and respect Him, to trust Him and to obey Him. Wisdom is always gained when we listen to God and do what He says.
Ways To Become Wise
Wisdom comes by listening to God and doing what He says. As we strive to become wise, there are three easy ways to gain wisdom:
Proverbs 1 and 9 are great places to start as they directly address the issues of how the fear of God leads to wisdom. Find time in the day to take 10 minutes to read the Bible without distractions. Learning from those we read about in the Bible will help us gain more wisdom on how to handle decisions in the future.
God is not intimidated by our questions. He welcomes them if we ask them in humility with a desire to know Him more. Don’t be afraid to ask Him why or even what to take away from what is happening.
Always be willing to learn from every decision, situation and conflict. We shouldn’t be overly sensitive when someone shares a concern that they have about us because it is an opportunity to gain wisdom on how to improve ourselves. Listen to feedback to see if God is teaching a valuable life lesson.
God gives us insight into living through wisdom because He created life. The direction our life takes will be a result of the choices we make. When we choose to go after wisdom, we gain a deeper relationship with God and a better understanding of what we go through. Fearing God will create a respect for Him that develops a wisdom in us to help us through every decision we make.