Day 29

Monday, March 22
Job 28-29

Do you ever just crave wisdom? Like a cold glass of water when you’re thirsty?

Friends, information is everywhere and we are not only bombarded by it daily but we can access whatever version of it we are seeking. Add social media to the conversation and it seems to bring information with bonus tangles of opinions and criticism to the table. Opinions are natural, but they hold little power. Criticism seems to have its own energy but why does it feel so cheap?

Information has become so accessible, that my son learned about sourcing and identifying credible information at school before he was 8 years old. What an age to live in!

It’s just not the same as wisdom.

As I’ve gotten a smidge older, I have learned to deeply appreciate when people say, “I don’t know” or “Let me think on that!” when they don’t quite have the answer or don’t feel like they can contribute to a conversation in a helpful way. It’s refreshing! The fact is, we are all searching, growing, and learning.

Where are we supposed to look for wisdom?

“But where shall wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?
 Man does not know its’ worth,
    and it is not found in the land of the living.”
Job 28:12

Job ends the chapter with an answer: “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Wow! If fear of the Lord serves as an entryway to this rich wisdom, what does fearing the Lord look like?

The words that comes to me are being struck with ‘awe’ and ‘reverence’ after conceptualizing how holy, magnificent, pure, or powerful God is. No wonder this wisdom is not found in the ‘land of the living’. (Or Twitter!)

It’s radically sobering yet beautifully mystical.

Here are some questions to carry with you today:
-Where do you turn for wisdom?
-Does fear of the Lord in your life look like a motivation for connection and intimate relationship with God?
-Do our words, actions, and will seem to shift and align with God a bit more naturally in this state?
-When we get too comfortable and lack that healthy sense of awe or respect, do we take sin seriously?
-How do you kindle the feelings of awe /fear/ reverence for God?

Reflection by Dallis Meyer