Everyone would love to be wise. Wisdom is not merely knowledge, but the ability to think the right things, feel the right things, and do the right things at the right time. A wise man is the one everyone looks to at every turn because they know his ways are not only peaceable and gentle, but also his leadership can be completely trusted (James 3:17-18).
The reason, of course, is that truly wise men and women are connected to the Singular Source. They have the mind of Christ. They have bent their will to the will of the Father and are finding and exhibiting His ways. “God is easy to live with,” Tozer said, and so are those who walk with God.
THE WISDOM
This wisdom, the Psalmist said, places a man head and shoulders above those around him. Even a young man—if he has wisdom—exceeds those much older.
THE WORK
But we must not bypass the essential task that leads to wisdom. The Psalmist was wise for a reason. He was meditating “all day long” on the Word of God. The commandments of God were “ever with” him. His testimonies were the things he constantly thought about, seeking their inexhaustible riches. He put himself in the way toward wisdom by daily, hourly listening to God through His Word.
This deliberate attention to God’s Word was not enough. It led him to a life of pure devotion to what God was teaching him. “I have observed your precepts, I have restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word; I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for you have taught me,” he said (vs. 100-102).
The Psalmist obeyed. It was this obedience that proved to him truth’s value … in fact, God’s value. His was not a mere head knowledge of the Scripture, but a life knowledge gained through experience with God. Such tested understanding always leads to a wisdom cemented in the soul; feet on the solid rock, heart drained free of foolishness, and hands given to the most fruitful tasks. You can follow a wise man because you know where he’s going, even if you can only see his back.
There is a work to wisdom and those who have become wise know it. If we are to have the precious possession of “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (vs. 105) and bring this light to others, we must put our hands and feet unceasingly to the task of reading, meditating, and obeying God through His Word.
