Heuristic wisdom ∙
Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding – Proverbs 14:33
Proverbs 2:2-11
2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
How do we find our way through life? How do we make good choices? How do we discover and practice wisdom? One widely accepted approach in modern disciplines is heuristic analysis.
This technique is an approach to discovery that involves utilizing rules, educated guesses, or estimations to discover, learn, and solve problems. Solutions are not always perfect, but they are often entirely satisfactory for meeting needs. People rely on their instincts, testing ideas through trial and error, making intuitive jumps, or sometimes taking a leap of faith.
The English word heuristic derives from the Greek word heurisko,which means to find or discover. Such decision-making combines experience, knowledge, and blind luck with a touch of serendipity. Is there a superior method presented in the Scriptures? The answer is a resounding “Yes.” It all begins by acknowledging the Father and seeking guidance from Him.
Matthew 7:7-14
7 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
13 You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell and is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
14 But the gateway to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
How often have we experienced regret, remorse, humiliation, and embarrassment because of our folly? All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without the Father (Oswald Chambers).
How might we refine our decision-making by relying on the Father? The Father’s answer is simple: seek, acquire, and master wisdom.
There is a magnificent transformational truth, a blueprint for personal renewal and development, that the Father reveals to us. The quest and reception of wisdom lead to learning about and knowing the Father. As we get to know Him, we are able to enter into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Him. We cultivate a deep reverence for Him. This remarkable internal transformation of our hearts, mind, and spirit allows us to understand and internalize the Truth He has provided in the Word of God.
It is as though the activity of sincere seeking and finding unlocks the door of understanding that we never even knew existed. It’s as if this door was forever sealed. Except for a vague and gnawing feeling that there must be something more, there was no indication that the door was even there.
Proverbs 9:10 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
The hearts and minds of children of the King may be wonderfully and delightfully shaped and fashioned and ultimately ruled by the wisdom that our Father graciously imparts (Proverbs 14:29-30, 33).
REFLECT & PRAY
So often, we make bad decisions that cost us deeply. We experience the unintended consequences of unrest and upheaval in our lives.
Father I seek You for wisdom and direction. Teach me to seek Your face each day. I need to make better decisions, experience less regret, and grow in wisdom.
INSIGHT
We often speak of wisdom, but what is it?
The Hebrew word translated as wisdom is chokma. Chokma originally referred to skilled craftsmen or workers. In time, chokma came to mean technical skill, experience, or shrewdness. Chokma is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. Wisdom is basically “skill for living.”
Wisdom is the ability to make sagacious use of knowledge in everyday life situations. Wisdom embodies the remarkable capacity to understand, discern, and make intuitively excellent decisions. Wisdom can be acquired by applying the mind to learning, comprehending, and applying the Word of God.
“A growing number of people in our world fail to seek God for His wisdom. Instead, they strive to satisfy their passions and desires without regard to their future or the consequences of their decisions.”
- Seek the Father and ask Him. Take time to pray – but in your times of prayer, don’t do all the talking. Listen for the Father’s still, small voice.
- Meditate on God’s Word – You will gain insight into the Father’s mind and heart.
- Obey the principles of Scripture – Set your heart on obeying the Father, and He will teach you how to apply His truth in your life.
- Remember the Father’s faithfulness – The Father has never failed to keep a single promise He has made.
- Seek godly counsel – share your needs and fears with those who love the Father and you.
- Associate with wise people – Choose your friends wisely and include the Father in every relationship. (Stanley)
Wisdom is more than knowledge. Knowledge is readily available from various sources. Not so wisdom. “If any man lacks wisdom, that is an entirely different matter. For it, he must go to the eternal Fountain of wisdom, and if he goes there, he will not be disappointed. God gives liberally, with an open hand . . .” (Alexander Ross).
James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God.
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© Dr. H 2023
Dr H Reflections 