God and Wisdom

I love it when I finally understand something on a deeper level. When I'm able to see angles of a situation that I wouldn't have seen in the past, that maybe nobody else sees yet. When I seem to understand the motivations of the human heart, even when it's not mine. Especially when it is mine. 

This is, I think, the essence of wisdom - the ability to have a perspective, an insight, that feels almost objective or, at the very least, understands intimately its own subjectivity, and is able to respond on the basis of what you perceive that is beyond the obviousness of whatever is in front of you. 

The Bible tells us often to seek after wisdom. To pursue it. To desire it. The Bible tells us that wisdom is a great virtue for a man, a help in times of trouble, and a gift from God. 

All of these things are true. 

But they can lead us to believe that wisdom is the greatest thing that we can attain. That wisdom is the end goal. That if only we would acquire wisdom, we would be set. 

But that is not the case. 

Proverbs tells us that God is greater than wisdom. 

God sees more, knows more, understands more, perceives more angles, has a better perspective, understands subjectivity, achieves objectivity, is keenly aware of motivations and wounds and predispositions. God has a better take on the world, on our lives, on us, than wisdom will ever give us. Than wisdom can ever give us. 

And if that is true (and it is, obviously, because the Bible tells us that it is), then acquiring God, acquiring faith, is greater than acquiring wisdom. 

I can confirm that this is the case. 

This is the case because all the wisdom in the world can tell you one thing about a situation, about a person, about a heart, about yourself, but faith can tell you something completely different. The ability to perceive, to see from multiple angles, to assess your own subjectiveness...it's great. But the ability to believe in something you can't understand, let alone imagine, is something even greater. 

I can't tell you (I'd love to, but we have neither the time nor the space) that God has done something greater than all my wisdom could ever have accounted for. I can't tell you the times that I have seen faith play out in absolutely amazing ways, beyond what the human mind - even in all wisdom - could ever understand. I can't tell you what a great moment it is, what a great feeling, when you finally finally understand, only to have God totally blow your mind with the unexpected, incredible, awesome, wonderful thing only He can do. 

Wisdom is good; God is greater. Proverbs is right. 

Seek wisdom. Obtain it if you can. But cling to faith. For even a mustard seed of faith is greater than all the wisdom in the world.