Got Wisdom?

Psalm 111

English Standard Version (ESV)

111 ^[a] (A)Praise the Lord!
I ^(B)will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
    in the company of ^(C)the upright, in the congregation.
² Great are the ^(D)works of the Lord,
    ^(E)studied by all who delight in them.
^3 (F)Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
    and his ^(G)righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has ^(H)caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and merciful.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;
    he ^(I)remembers his covenant forever.
⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,
    in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are ^(J)trustworthy;
⁸ they are ^(K)established forever and ever,
    to be performed with ^(L)faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He sent ^(M)redemption to his people;
    he has ^(N)commanded his covenant forever.
    ^(O)Holy and awesome is his name!
^10 (P)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all those who practice it have ^(Q)a good understanding.
    His ^(R)praise endures forever! (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+111&version=ESV)

Our God has done and is doing many wonderful works.  He does take care of His people and I can personally attest to that.  Sometimes I think we begin thinking that we are the ones that earn the money and even think that we alone are the ones that control our destiny.  At those times the Lord is quick to step in and make His wonders known to us.  

God provided for my husband and I  personally when I found myself out of a job.   My husband and I found that we were still eating well, with the  refrigerator full and overflowing.  We had to let go of some of those luxuries that we enjoyed, like eating out,  but financially we were sound.  Even though our lives were in turmoil, we knew that God was in control and that He would take care of us.  After all, God had provided my husband with a good job.

This scripture passage gives us many many examples of the power and majesty of our Lord and Savior.  I believe that sometimes this is something that is entirely overlooked in our society today.  People begin to think it is by their own will power that things happen for them.  They feel like they control their destiny and that it is up to them and them alone to bring success to their lives.  Oh, I think that sometimes we are all a bit guilty of this even if we proclaim that God is in control.

I believe that is where the last verse really comes in to play.  In today’s world we talk about God being a God of love, our friend and our companion.  If we were to leave out the last verse in this Psalm you may think that the Psalmist views God as all of the above as well.  He is the provider of our needs but often time we try to use Him as the provider of our wants.  There is a huge difference in those two.  This last verse brings us to reality, we need to fear God if we are going to gain wisdom. 

Often times we have a difficult time knowing exactly why we need to fear Him after all He is love, what is to fear in that?  I have to think back to those years when my earthly dad was raising me.  I feared him and mother too but mostly my dad.  He was absolutely not abusive, he was kind, gentle, fun, and someone I really wanted to spend time with.  Yet, if he had to, he was not afraid to correct me in my wrongful ways.  I wanted to please him and I did not want to get caught disobeying him so when he said something, I listened; when he gave me a direct instruction, I followed it, in essence, when he said to jump I would ask “How high?”.  That is the fear that we should have for the creator of this universe, the creator of us.  We should feel comfortable around Him, enjoy His company, yet know that He is far more than just a friend, He is our Heavenly Father.  Respect Him, Honor Him, Obey Him, and seek Him with all your heart, this is the beginning of wisdom.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila