FRIDAY: CRAVING WISDOM

Oct 28, 2022
2 min read

Lord, what a delight it would be if I could be wise! I can easily be led astray by the wisdom of the world; instead, help me to crave Your wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 7:20-25, 29

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you— for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. All this I tested by wisdom, and I said, “I am determined to be wise”—but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound—who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

All have sinned, and I am no less a sinner than anyone else. In my determination to be wise, I found I lost touch with what is righteous. If I don’t do what is right, I sin, and in my determination to test wisdom, I sin.

In my quest for wisdom, I also wish to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. My search for wisdom is not in vain. I find that God created mankind upright, but instead of accepting the wisdom of God, mankind instead went away from the Lord to go in search of many schemes. I also find that in the search itself is my very need to know what God knows. Therefore, I conclude that neither my search for wisdom nor my desire to understand madness are from God, but from my selfish nature and desire to know all things.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: If God wanted me to know what is profound, I know He has the power to reveal it to me? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Father reveals His wisdom and knowledge to me.

These things are not revealed to me in my search for them; they are only revealed by my search for Him. Only when I concentrate on the only One who is righteous does He reveal His righteousness. When I concentrate on words people say, I distance myself from His righteousness.

I desire to do what is right, and in this desire, I go to search many schemes to find wisdom. In doing so, I turn my mind from God. The result will not be good; instead of finding the wisdom of God, I will have discovered instead that I am far from Him. O Lord, please allow me to look for You instead of following my craving for wisdom.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman