Refreshing Wisdom

Proverb 3: 7 – 8

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

Interestingly enough, this verse, though it is about healing, does not advise about diet or exercise. What is the root of this? Some people will think it is about doing evil and that evil doings make you sick or that God curses those who are doing bad. That is not what this verse says. You’ve got to start at the beginning of the verse and there are really two parts. First, do not be wise in your own eyes and second, revere the Lord and His wisdom. That is really what this is about. Turning away from evil is a natural by-product of serving the Lord. So, let’s look at this more closely and see what the Lord is teaching us.

This passage is really about whose wisdom you will follow. When we inquire of the Lord, which is step one, we fare well. When we rely on our own wisdom, we don’t always make the choices that lead to healthy bodies and refreshed bones. It isn’t that we do not try to make right decisions. It’s just that we don’t know all God knows. I will tell you another implication of relying on our own wisdom and knowledge. It is stressful. The more we learn to rely on God’s direction, the less stress we are under. The less stress we experience, the healthier our bodies.

I have taught in the past about hearing God. I have even sent you my testimony about when I could not hear Him. It was the most frustrating thing! In our fast-paced society, it is definitely harder to hear Him. Another factor is involved too. As the pace of life increased, people found it harder to hear Him. Now, we are raised in the expectation that we won’t hear God speak to us. Of course, that is unbiblical, but church culture is influenced by societal pressures too. Eventually, a doctrine arises to support our failure. The converse is to have to face up to the failure and that is not so easy.

We, however, are fortunate. We are not the generation that created the problem or accepted not being able to hear God speaking to us. That makes the problem existence emotionally neutral to us as far as blame. We can be the fixers since we carry no guilt. Yes, our generation has accepted the failure and believed pastors who taught us wrong but now we have the ability to get free.

If we can follow God’s wisdom for our health, then surely, we will live healthy. If we forsake any pride we may have, choosing not to be wise in our own eyes, but rather to rely on the Father, we really can turn things around. Even if you are a medical professional, did you know that it is not your responsibility to have all wisdom? Your wisdom, too, is supplied by the healer.

Today’s verse is about relinquishing control and not having to have all the answers. It is about expecting God to be God. In our reverence of Yahweh God, we are to turn to Him with questions and, not only expect Him to answer us, but to demand it. Honestly, He is on the edge of His throne wanting to answer you. Let’s get good at hearing God’s voice. Let’s follow His wisdom to arrive at the place of healing.