About how long does a New Year’s Resolution really last?
A week? A month? A year?
Maybe as long as the thrill lasts— that thrill of applying something new, challenging and good for your overall being.
Then we all know the song and dance. Life gets in the way. Desire fades. But hey, you got that month in (or however else long it was). Right?
My resolution was to take care of some health items. Have I started? Noooope.
For good reason, I swear! I’m thinking about how to go about it. Ok, fine, am I procrastinating? Yes… But I really want to seek out the how I go about it and commit before diving in. After all, I may not find what I seek here.
So when I came across Proverbs 8 this morning, I was intrigued at verse 17.
“I love those who love me and those who seek me find me.”
The “I” in the verse is wisdom speaking. The title of Proverbs 8 is “Wisdom Calling”. So, literally this is wisdom sharing its view.
I’m astounded that for all of us 300 billion in the world that when someone seeks wisdom from the Lord, they are guaranteed to find it. The amount of time that the seeking will take isn’t noted, but that’s not the focus.
The focus is that wisdom can -and will - be found.
Its amazing that for all the things we do seek and cannot grasp, if we seek wisdom, we will find it.
“For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death,” Pr. 8:35-36.
Isn’t it a little scary to read this verse and consider the heart of those who seemingly love death and why they do the things they do? They hate wisdom. Further: they hate the wisdom of the Lord.
If you look in Jeremiah 29 and move a couple verses past the renowned verse 11 to verse 13, you will find this treasure:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord…”
Wow. Both the Lord and wisdom remark that when we seek them, they will be found. The key phrase here is “when we seek”.
Now, there are many times that the Lord shows up in our lives and in no way were we seeking Him or His wisdom. But there are many other times that the Lord waits for us to make the move before revealing Himself.
And it’s the seeking out, the pursuit, the thrill of what we may find that He encourages us to take. Why? Because He wants to be found by us. Wisdom wants to be found too. Why?
Because they are good for us. They will prolong our lives, (Deut 4:40). They will offer prudence, give knowledge, discretion, sound judgement, counsel, understanding and power (Prov. 8:12,14).
So, if in this New Year, you seek anything, seek wisdom from the Lord. For you will find them and be nourished beyond what the resolution will last.
