"By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you an ornament to grace your neck."

Proverbs 3:19-22

Today’s passage, for example, speaks of wisdom as the creative energy that once formed the universe and is now available to human beings. This wisdom that comes down from God is much like the journey of the eternal Word made flesh.

There is the clever wisdom that seeks to get one over on other people. This is not the sort of wisdom we find in Proverbs. There, wisdom has an ethical, neighbor-regarding quality. This is because a world-creating energy must inspire actions that are constructive or upbuilding, not hateful, violent, or destructive. Yet Proverbs does not seek from its readers super-saintly behavior. It does not call us to what is impossible.

The wisdom that Proverbs seeks to inculcate, though high, rich, and glorious, is not beyond anybody. It is attainable. It is reachable, doable, for any who will give a little time to its cultivation. It is available to the immature and the inexperienced and can be built up daily by anyone who will listen, really pay attention, to the Proverbs and let their actions be motivated by them.

CLOSING PRAYER

O God, fill me today with your wisdom, that I might please you in all that I do.

(edited from Encounter with God)