My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you cry out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures;
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God. –Proverbs 2:1-5
My grandfathers, both of them, were the wisest men I knew. I watched my father’s father study his Bible on Saturday evenings as he prepared his Sunday school lesson. My mother’s father was my hero of logic, common sense and thrift. Though these men imparted their wisdom is different ways, I learned important life lessons from each of them.
Listening to the wisdom of those we love and respect, we sometimes think of their ‘liturgy’ as being part of the Bible. We think of the words that come out of their mouths as Biblical because we know they are grounded in their faith. The truth is, their love for us includes teaching us how to remember their warnings so that we can achieve a safe and exuberant life. If it takes a special turn of phrase, or a quote from their grandparents to help us remember these words of wisdom, they will use them freely!
Sometimes these sayings come from people we do not know and people who do not know us. People are often quick to throw a quote in our direction as an easy fix; these phrases may sometimes be said with the intention to show how much they know and we don’t! These actions make us feel that we are not respected for the things we already know. In the most extreme situations, each person is completely different in their needs: The things one person needs in the loss of a loved one will not be the same things the next person will need, even though they have experienced the same loss.
God looks at their individual person to answer their needs. It is difficult for us to realize, and sometimes accept, the way God knows us. From the moment He knit us in our mother’s womb to the number of hairs on our heads, He knows who we are. God’s support and love are individual, always present and never-ending. Daily Bible reading, intentional study, and discussion with our Sunday school classes and worship family helps us to remember that God sent His Son to us here on earth, to impart God’s wisdom and to relieve the sins of those who believe in Jesus Christ. The Bible is our written connection to God, to remind us to pray continually and to listen for His voice.
– Sue Gibbons, Assistant to the Worship Team
