Meep, Meep (Proverbs 4)

I never really understood Proverbs 4:26 about “make level paths for your feet” until I was in Israel last February. After a few days there I asked, “Is this whole country a rock farm?” Seriously, it’s like the nation has been overtaken by rocks. Any place that is not developed is covered in rocks.

Back in Bible times there was obviously a lot less pavement laid down, and so I imagine there were even more rocks. And so imagining walking from one village to the next, well, that would have been a challenge. And the thing you would have really wanted was a level path for your feet.

I find most of life to be challenging. Marriage is complicated, parenting is filled with difficulties, being a pastor is tough. And so what we need in this journey is a level path for our feet. Today’s reading (Proverbs 4) tells us how to get that – through seeking, hunting down, grabbing, and holding onto wisdom. We’re supposed to go after wisdom the way Wile. E. Coyote went after the Road Runner.

So am I (and are you) going after wisdom? Well, I think there are three primary ways we go after wisdom. And so this is a pretty easy evaluation. How much time do I (and you) spend doing each of these three things:

  1. Reading the Bible?
  2. Praying for wisdom?
  3. Intentionally spending time with people we believe have godly wisdom?