Today’s Manna!
Scripture: Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
The book of Proverbs opens with a profound statement, a cornerstone upon which the rest of its wisdom rests. “The fear of the Lord,” it declares, is the very soil from which true knowledge blossoms. But what does this “fear” mean, and how does it relate to wisdom?
The fear of the Lord is not a cowering terror, but a reverent awe at His majesty and power. It’s the profound awareness that we stand before the Creator, the source of all life and intelligence. In this realization, our own knowledge shrinks to its rightful size, a mere seedling compared to the vast orchard of God’s understanding.
But this awe is not passive. It leads to a hunger for wisdom, a yearning to understand the divine principles that govern the universe and guide our lives. It manifests in seeking His word, immersing ourselves in scripture, and listening to the whispers of His Spirit in our hearts. In every sunrise, in every kind stranger, in every challenge overcome, we see brushstrokes of His wisdom guiding us.
The “fools” mentioned in the verse, on the other hand, despise this wisdom. They rely solely on their own limited understanding, blind to the infinite wellspring of knowledge beyond them. They scoff at instruction, mistaking their arrogance for intelligence.
But true wisdom comes not from pride, but from humility. It comes from acknowledging our dependence on God, from opening our hearts to His teachings, and from submitting our lives to His guiding hand. Like a gardener diligently tending the soil, nurturing the seedling, so too must we cultivate the fear of the Lord within us, for it is the foundation upon which genuine wisdom grows.
Take a moment to ponder the “fear of the Lord” in your own life. Does it evoke awe, gratitude, or something else? How actively are you seeking wisdom from God? Do you carve out time for prayer, scripture study, and listening to His voice? Identify areas where you might be relying solely on your own understanding. Are you open to receiving correction and instruction from God and others?
Dear Lord, help me to cultivate a reverent awe in your presence. Open my heart to the wisdom contained in your word and in the whispers of your Spirit. Guard me from the seductive whispers of my own arrogance. Grant me the humility to seek your guidance and the openness to receive your instruction. Let the fear of you be the fertile ground in which my own understanding may flourish, bearing fruit that serves you and blesses others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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