If you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)
Too much of my life has been run by trial and error. You might be thinking, “But that’s how we learn and grow,” and yeah to some degree, we do. But when trial and error is your primary way of learning, you end up with a ton of errors to deal with. Depending on how big the mistakes are, it can be really damaging for yourself and those around you. That’s why trial and error can’t be our main approach to living life. So, is there a better way? Yes, Proverbs 2 shows us a much better path—learning by seeking God’s wisdom.
Think of it like this: seeking wisdom means when your teacher tells you that copying your classmate’s homework won’t help you pass the test, instead of continuing to cheat, you give back your friend’s geometry worksheet and stay after school to understand the math problems.
But I was that stubborn kid who had to learn the hard way—by trial and error. It took me until the final weeks of the fourth quarter to realize, “Oh, my teacher was right, this copying isn’t making me any smarter on these exams!” Fortunately, my teacher cared enough to make me stay for tutoring and earn extra credit by cleaning the classroom.
Learning by seeking God’s wisdom is way better.
One important thing you need to know in order to seek God’s wisdom is this—approving of God’s ways is not the same as obeying God’s ways (check out James 2:18). The immature person agrees with God’s truths, but the wise person actually lives out God’s truths. I’ve mixed up the two for too long. How about you?
Living by God’s wisdom is way better. It’s the cheat code for life! When you start living by God’s wisdom, you experience the benefits of forgiving someone who hurt you instead of letting bitterness keep you up at night. You notice the results of hard work in school or spending quality time with your family, rather than just coasting and hoping for the best. You see the redemption in conflict when you seek God’s wisdom, choosing patience and understanding over blame and demands.
When God’s wisdom enters your soul, you get a bunch of cheat codes.