Read Proverbs 2:2

Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
Proverbs 2:2

We need wisdom, not just knowledge. God is willing to give wisdom, but not on our terms. As we go deeper, He begins to entrust us with more and more of His mind. In the process, we become more and more like Christ.

When tragedy strikes, we don’t need more intelligence. We don’t need a greater number of skills. We need depth, the kind of depth Job had. When the bottom dropped out of his life, Job had the wisdom to say:

“But He knows the way I take;
               When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My foot has held fast to His path;
               I have kept His way and not turned aside.
I have not departed from the command of His lips;
               I have treasured the words of His mouth
               More than my necessary food.” (Job 23:10–12)

We need the depth of Paul, who prayed three times for the horrible stake in his flesh to leave (the word often translated “thorn” means a pointed instrument, like a sword), and three times the Lord said no. In response, Paul said, “Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV). That’s depth. That’s an example of wisdom at work. Rather than throw a pity party for himself, Paul boldly declared, “I choose to embrace my affliction so that I can have the privilege of experiencing even more of Christ’s power over me.”

What depth of character. What intimacy with the Almighty these men had. I want that too. I want what they had, so that my walk is such that I walk in step whether I feel good or not. Whether I get a yes or no to my prayers, I walk consistently, even when I don’t get my way.

Taken from The Owner’s Manual for Christians by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com