Proverbs 2:1-6 says,

“My son, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and ask for understanding.” (NLT)

The word “wisdom” appears over 200 times in the Bible. We’re told to seek it, accept it, listen to it, and ask God for it. We’re told that wisdom is better than silver, gold, and priceless possessions. We’re told that wisdom leads to long life, riches, honor, pleasantness, and peace.

But above anything else, we’re told that, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

What does that mean? It means that for us to truly have this invaluable gift of wisdom- respect, honor, and reverence for God must be at the center of our lives. When this happens, we begin to value His Word (the Bible) as the ultimate authority for every decision we make in life. We begin to live our lives with the knowledge that God sees all, knows all, and can’t be lied to or hidden from. We start truly considering the reality of eternity, understanding that someday each one of us will give an account of our lives to God.

Wisdom is best defined as the ability to see things from an eternal, God-honoring perspective and to respond appropriately. When we have God’s wisdom in our lives, we respond to life challenges, difficulties, and obstacles quite differently than the rest of the world because we’re willing to take a step back and examine our situation through the lens of what truly matters.