Greetings Christ Church Missoula!
Grace to you and Peace!
“He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice and preserves the way of His saints.” Proverbs 2:7-8
The Lord is a shield, a guard, a giver of wisdom, and one who preserves the life of His saints. This is what God does. But what does God want us to do? The previous verses tell us to receive, to treasure, to pay attention to, to apply our heart to, to cry out to God for, to lift up our voice to Him, and to seek as if seeking hidden treasure, wisdom, and understanding from the word of God (Prov. 2:1-5).
This is how we gain understanding when we don’t understand what God is doing. It’s how we grow in our knowledge of God and how we mature in our faith. It’s how we make sense of our circumstances and the world around us. It’s how we grow in our love for God and for our neighbor. The question before us today is this: Do we seek God with the same passion that is described in these verses?
Jesus tells His saints in the Sermon on the Mount to, “…seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Proverbs 2:1-5 describes what seeking looks like. The word of God is not a reference book to consult on occasion when we aren’t sure of an answer. It is to be our passion as His disciples. The word of God is life. (John 6:63) The word of God is eternal life. (John 6:68)
God wants all of us to be “…skilled in the word of righteousness” (Hebrews 5:13) but we must seek it. And Jesus assures us “…seek and you will find” (Mathew 7:7) for the Father knows how to give good gifts to His children and He guards them, He shields them, He preserves their path, He gives them wisdom so all of them can understand the fear of Lord and find the knowledge of God.
His mercy endures forever!
Pastor Flynn