Wisdom Is Calling—Are You Listening? Proverbs Chapter One: God's Wisdom, Peace, And Untroubled By Fear.
Have you ever needed wisdom for something in your life, but instead of going to God first, you found yourself trying to figure everything out on your own?
Maybe you’re facing a decision, and you’re going back and forth in your mind. Maybe your emotions are speaking loudly, or you’re listening to the opinions of people around you. Maybe you’re simply trying to make sense of what you should do next. I think we can all find ourselves there.
But as I was studying Proverbs 1, I was reminded of something so important:
Wisdom is calling. The question is, are we listening?
In She Speaks Life, we continue through Proverbs 1:8–33, and these verses give us such a practical picture of what it looks like to live by the wisdom of God.
God has not left us to figure life out on our own. He has given us His Word, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us.
James 1:5 tells us that if we need wisdom, we can ask God, and He gives generously.
I love that about our Father. He doesn't tell us, “You should already know what to do.” He invites us to ask Him. He wants us to depend on Him.
But there is something we have to do with the wisdom He gives us.
We have to listen.
There Are Two Paths
Proverbs Chapter One begins by encouraging a child to listen to the instruction of his father and mother. These verses are pointing us toward wisdom and away from the path of foolishness.
As you continue reading through Proverbs, you begin to see this theme over and over again. There are two paths before us. One is God's way, the way of wisdom and righteousness. The other is the way of foolishness, independence, and sin.
Verses 10–19 give a warning about following the wrong crowd.
And I think this is something we can all relate to, regardless of our age.
It can promise something quick. It can look pleasurable. It can make us feel accepted. It can make us feel like we're part of the crowd.
But what looks appealing at first can eventually become a trap.
Proverbs gives us the picture of a bird seeing a trap being set and knowing to stay away. Yet people can see the consequences of sin and still walk right into it. Why? Because sometimes what we desire in the moment can become more important to us than what God has said.
When we stop listening to truth, our appetites can begin to lead us. We start allowing our emotions, desires, or the influence of others to determine our choices. But when we walk in truth and in the Holy Spirit, He leads us into something far better. He satisfies us. We don't have to keep chasing what the world tells us will make us happy when we have the Holy Spirit leading our lives.
God's Correction Is Because He Loves Us
The beginning of Proverbs also talks about receiving instruction and correction.
I was reminded of Hebrews 12:10–11, which tells us that God's discipline is for our good and that it produces a peaceful harvest of right living.
Correction isn't always enjoyable in the moment.
But God's correction isn't punishment coming from a Father who is disappointed in us. It is the loving training of a Father who cares about us and cares about how we live.
God corrects us because we are His children.
He sees what we can't see.
He knows where a particular path will lead.
And because He is good and faithful, His instruction is always for our benefit.
I think sometimes we can resist correction because we don't want to be told we're wrong. But when we understand the heart of our Father, we can begin to see correction differently.
We can say, “Lord, if You are showing me something, I want to know. If there is something in me that needs to change, I want You to lead me.”
That is part of listening to wisdom.
Wisdom Will Become Visible in Your Life
Proverbs says that the instruction of wisdom will be like a crown of grace and a chain of honor around your neck.
In the ancient world, these kinds of ornaments represented honor, authority, position, and character.
And I love thinking about that in light of who we are in Christ.
The world has its own ideas about what makes someone valuable or successful. But as women of God, our lives are not defined by what the world says is impressive. We are already a royal priesthood.
The wisdom of God becomes something that is displayed through our lives.
We don't have to announce that we are wise. Eventually, our choices will speak for us.
The way we respond to people will reveal something.
The way we handle correction will reveal something.
The way we respond when things don't go our way will reveal something.
The way we make decisions will reveal something.
God's wisdom is not simply something we know. It becomes something we live.
Wisdom Is Calling in the Streets
Then Proverbs gives us this incredible picture of wisdom calling out in the streets. Wisdom isn't hiding. She is crying out. She is calling people to listen and receive instruction.
I love this picture because it shows us that God is not trying to keep wisdom from us. He makes His wisdom available. His Word is available. The Holy Spirit is available. His direction is available.
We simply have to choose whether we will listen.
James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God. And He gives generously.
That means when you are sitting there wondering, “What do I do?”, you don't have to panic. You don't have to immediately run to everyone else for an answer. You can go to God. You can open His Word. You can ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. And then you have to be willing to do what He says.
What Happens When We Refuse Wisdom?
Proverbs also gives us a serious warning about what happens when wisdom is continually rejected.
There are people who hear correction but refuse it. There are people who mock truth. There are people who simply don't want to be told what to do.
And eventually, Scripture says they experience the consequences of choosing their own way.
Verse 31 describes it as eating the bitter fruit of living their own way.
That phrase really stands out to me. We can create unnecessary destruction in our own lives when we continually insist on doing things our way instead of God's way.
This isn't God withholding His goodness from us. It's the result of rejecting His wisdom. God's wisdom protects us. His correction keeps us on the right path.
His Word keeps us from walking into things He knows will hurt us.
So when God says, “Don't go there,” it isn't because He wants to restrict our lives. It's because He knows where that road leads.
God's Wisdom Brings Peace
And then we come to verse 33, which is one of my favorite promises in this passage:
“But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”
That is such a beautiful picture of what happens when we listen to God's wisdom.
Think about how often fear tries to get our attention.
What if this happens?
What if I make the wrong decision?
What if I don't know what to do?
What if everything doesn't work out?
But God's Word gives us another way to live.
We can trust that He knows our future.
We can trust His character.
We can trust His direction.
We can trust that His wisdom is better than our own understanding.
When we continually renew our minds with God's Word, our circumstances don't have to become the loudest voice in our lives.
God's truth becomes louder and our life's circumstances grow silent.
And that's where peace comes from.
Not because we know every detail of what is going to happen, but because we know the One who does.
This Is Where the LIFE Framework Comes In
This is exactly why I created the LIFE Framework.
I don't want us to simply read Scripture and then close our Bibles and go back to living the same way.
I want us to take God's Word beyond the pages and allow it to become the way we live.
When I read Proverbs Chapter One, I see the LIFE Framework all throughout these verses.
L is Listen to the Word.
Wisdom is calling. God gives us wisdom through His Word and through the Holy Spirit, but we have to choose to listen instead of ignoring His instruction or correction.
I is Internalize the Word.
We receive God's wisdom into our hearts and allow His truth to renew our minds. We stop allowing our own desires, our own logic, or the influence of others to have the final say.
F is Faith in Action.
This is where we actually do what God says. We don't simply agree with God's Word. We put it into practice. We choose God's way over our way.
And then E is Experience Transformation.
When we listen, internalize, and obey God's wisdom, we experience the fruit of living according to His Word.
Proverbs 1:33 says we can live in peace, untroubled by fear.
That's transformation.
So, What Is Wisdom Saying to You?
As you think about Proverbs One, I want you to make this personal.
Where is God asking you to listen?
Is there an area where you've been leaning more heavily on your own understanding than on God's Word?
Is there a decision you've been trying to figure out without asking Him?
Is there correction you've been resisting?
Are you allowing the opinions of other people to become louder than the truth of God's Word?
Or maybe there is something that looks attractive right now, but the Holy Spirit is giving you that check in your spirit that says, “Stay away.”
Wisdom is calling!
You don't have to figure everything out by yourself.
God has given you His Word.
He has given you His wisdom.
And He has given you the Holy Spirit to lead you.
A Declaration for Walking in God's Wisdom
I want to encourage you to speak this declaration over yourself:
I am a woman who listens to the voice of wisdom. I will not ignore God's Word, resist His correction, or lean on my own understanding.
I receive wisdom from God freely because He generously gives wisdom to those who ask. I choose God's way over my own way.
I will not follow the crowd or be enticed by what looks pleasurable or easy. I recognize the traps of sin and have the wisdom to stay away from them.
I will not allow my emotions to become my master. The Holy Spirit leads me and He satisfies me.
I internalize God's Word, allowing His truth to renew my mind and shape my thoughts, decisions, words, and actions.
I depend on God's wisdom rather than living independently of Him.
I put my faith into action. I am not merely a hearer of the Word. I am a doer of the Word. When God speaks, I respond. I receive His instruction and willingly follow His direction.
Therefore, I experience the fruit of obeying God's wisdom.
I live in His peace. I am not controlled by anxiety, worry, or fear. My confidence is in a faithful God who knows my future and guides me every step of the way.
I am secure in Christ. His wisdom guides me, His Word renews me, and His Spirit leads me.
I walk in wisdom. I walk in truth. And I walk in the peace of God.
God's Wisdom Is Calling: Proverbs Chapter One
I hope you tune in to this episode, God's Wisdom is Calling, as we continue to cover Chapter One of Proverbs on She Speaks Life, and it encourages you to slow down and listen.
God's wisdom is available to you. You don't have to live independently of Him. You don't have to figure everything out on your own. And you don't have to allow fear to be a voice that directs your decisions.
Open His Word. Ask Him for wisdom. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Then put what He says into action. Because the goal isn't simply to know God's Word. The goal is to live it. Wisdom is calling. Are you listening?
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