II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Isn’t it awesome when you desperately need advice and you find just the right person with just the right wisdom at just the right time to help you? But I venture to guess that at some point, you have also encountered the wrong person with the wrong advice at the worst time possible, intensifying your problem. Forrest Gump might say, “Advice is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
So, in the search for good advice, where might one go? Well, older people are known to have great wisdom. However, their advice can sometimes be a bit unorthodox. I recall many occasions when an older and wiser person would catch me outside playing with wet hair and warn me that I would catch my death of cold. If this were true, I would be dead many times over.
Then, what about the advice of a child? Children are a wealth of unsolicited advice, such as, “Never let your mother comb your hair when she is mad.” Got to admit the advice is spot-on, but is it the advice you are seeking?
Then, perhaps the advice found on the warning labels of items we purchase can help. Warning labels advise us how to properly use a product. However, beware, even these. The warning label found on my hair dryer stated, “Do not use while sleeping.” (Has this really ever happened?) And, the warning label found on a pair of children’s pajamas rightfully advised, “Wash inside out. Remove child before washing.” What? Do we seriously need this type of advice?
Advice comes in many forms, in many ways, and from many well-intentioned people and places. But if advice is going to be useful, it must be applicable to our lives and be saturated in wisdom. So where might one find wise advice? Right where wise advice originated: in the Word of God.
So. . . .
When grief fills your soul, seek the wisdom of Psalm 34:18.
When envy and jealousy creep in, pray for the love found in 1 Corinthians 13:4.
Deuteronomy 31:6 – 8 offers the wisdom to battle loneliness.
Read Psalm 34:17 to help you navigate the flood of depression.
When your life spins out of control and your soul cries out for patience, read Colossians 1:11-13.
When you seek to praise and worship our gracious Father, read Psalm 100.
So, when we struggle to follow God’s calling, the wisdom from God’s Word can encourage us and guide us. When the daily duties of motherhood and sisterhood leave us weary and ready to quit, God’s Word reminds us that He is our strength and our help. When we don’t feel qualified to share our faith, the wisdom in God’s Word equips us to do all the good things God created us to do. And, when we allow sin to tempt us, the wisdom found in God’s Word rebukes and corrects us, redirecting us back to God.
God’s wisdom is never risky. God’s wisdom is always relevant. God’s wisdom is forever true. So, open up God’s book of wisdom and pick any piece you want. Unlike that box of chocolates, God’s wisdom never disappoints.
Father God, help us seek true wisdom from you, knowing you are the author of all that is true and wise.
Blessings,
Rita Cochrane