I Get an Answer to Proverbs 2:6-7

When I read this passage, I struggled with making sense of it. I asked God, "Why would You reserve wisdom for the honest when it's dishonest people who need it more?"

His answer: I don't give wisdom to the dishonest or the foolish so there is room for the consequence to take place.

Wisdom comes from an accumulation of lessons learned.  Too often we ignore the OUT (1 Corinthians 10:13) and foolishness prevails. Wisdom is GIVEN by God but with free will, we have to CHOOSE to accept it. This can take effort:
-An acknowledgement we've done something wrong
-Asking for forgiveness
-Asking God what He is trying to impart through the trials
-Learning how to avoid it in the future
-Denying the influences that got us into trouble
-Filling our time with more honorable activity
-If the opportunity comes, being available to help others who struggle with the same issues

It's true there are a lot of successful fools. In these instances, however, I think there is a distinction between being wise and being shrewd. Being shrewd can require manipulation, a compromise in integrity or malicious behavior. It's self-serving and can lead to unrest. Wisdom involves common sense, the use of experience and insight. It shares itself and offers peace.

There also needs to be an acknowledgement that we can be wise in particular areas (what we have turned over to God) and others in which we continue to harbor foolishness (the parts of ourselves we try to withhold from God). I feel this way myself, that I move in and out of foolishness and wisdom. I walk through the valley on my way to high places, picking up the pieces that fell away during my youthful descent. For me, wisdom will not come all at once. I think for most of us that's true. It's a hard journey but we have a willing companion in Jesus. With His help, we have the strength to pick up our heavier burdens and He carries them for us. With His support, we can face our brokenness and through Him, we replace foolishness with wisdom. Thank you, Lord, for not leaving us in the valley.