“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”
Proverbs 2:10-11
Oh these verses! Can’t you just hear Solomon pleading with his son to follow his advice? I can feel the urgency in his words, the deep longing in his soul for this child he loves. Solomon knew the ramifications of a passive life and knew just how easy it can be to slip into that type of lifestyle. After all, he was the wisest man ever but still let himself fall into the pattern of laziness in following God (which caused huge problems for him). Now he’s begging his son to actively pursue the ways of God…to search for them as if for treasure.
When I read verses like this to my kids, I try to give them a visual to which they can relate. Here’s my visual for us. Think about those mornings when you’re due to be somewhere but are already running ten minutes late in getting out the door. You go to the typical place you set your keys, but they’re gone. What do you do? You search like a crazy person until you’re hair is all upside down, you break a sweat, and your house looks like it’s just been robbed. You search UNTIL YOU FIND your keys!! Why? Because you feel that wherever you are headed is important enough to go through all of this madness.
How much effort am I putting into discovering God’s way for my life? When an answer to a decision doesn’t come right away, do I keep asking Him to reveal it? Or do I search for my keys harder than I search for His will? Do I search Amazon for the perfect appliance harder than I search the Scriptures? God has a solution for every single thing we’re facing, and a perfect plan for our lives. Are we missing it because we don’t want to spend the time it takes to find it or because we want to do things our way?
I’ve done things my way, and it looked decent enough on the outside, but the inside was stressed out all the time. I can honestly tell you I love God’s way, even though it’s the seemingly hard way. Because like this passage states, it yields success and protection by the Almighty. God has proved Himself time and again in my life, and I want to return whatever faithfulness I can give back. He has made success when failure was almost a certainty.
It is now my job, like Solomon’s, to teach my children to search for God’s paths for their lives. I don’t just want them making the decision everyone else makes. I don’t care if they are the “cool kids” or if they make a bunch of money when they grow up. True success is not measured in the size of their house, the clothes they wear, or how many people laugh at their jokes. I simply want them to seek God’s wisdom in every single decision, love Him above all, and love others next. In those times when it seems extra difficult, I want to be their biggest supporters in pointing them to His ways. But I can’t do it unless I’m daily hunting God’s direction.
Oh Father, if my soul yearns this intensely for the success and protection of my children, how much more does Yours long for it? Direct my every move that I may please You and point them toward Your life-giving path. Help me to be diligent in searching for Your words to me, even when You seem to be silent for a time. Make me wise and steadfast. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.