FEAR IS WISDOM'S MIDWIFE?

When we were children we suffered particular fears like the monster under the bed or in the closet.  Some children will only go to sleep with a night-light left on.  Many children between the ages one to two fear being left alone when their mother leaves the room.  The specter of some terrible danger looms in the darkness of the unknown and fuels a rush of anxiety anticipating the worst.  Variations of this scenario are pervasive realities across all time and place.  What child does not encountered real fear from unrefined imaginations.  Often the comforting assurance of love and safety in a parent’s voice and presence is the only balm soothing a child’s soul and confirming that there is nothing to fear.

Somewhere in the foggy landscape of my memory I am certain there were such childhood fears.  Years later, having suppressed them from remembrance, I am left with an orientation toward things in general that occasion real fear and the wisdom of avoidance:  GMO foods, sugar, dietary sensitivities (gluten, cow dairy), driving without a seat belt, riding in the back of a pick-up truck, cornering a badger, playing chicken with a rattle snake, and other concerns at my advancing age.  One verse in the Bible about fear in particular haunted me for years:  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  (Psalm 111:10)  The fear of the Lord God may be the residue left over from a loving, discipline oriented father who with five rowdy boys was inclined toward a little corporeal punishment that I am sure was well deserved.  With the tough love from our earthly fathers, how are we to resolve the idea that God is love while at the same time fearing him.  Where are the worship songs lyrics like “I love you God, but you are really scary”?  What do we do with our conflicting impulses of love and fear and our attraction to and avoidance of God?

A few years ago while pondering the matter I believe the Holy Spirit gave me a very simple insight into Psalm 111:10.  Jesus said, “When He the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13).   So He did.  The insight is this:  By fearing God we are to know, respect, and obey Him for who he truly is.  He is Creator of the universe, the Father of all creation.  He is the one who keeps it all together.  He preserves all things.  He governs all things.  He loves us and desires to forgive us of our sin and restore us to His likeness in holiness.  He looks forward to eternity with us.  He only requires that we turn from our sinful ways and in obedience to his commands walk in holiness and righteous with him.  In short, he desires that we show our love for Him by our obedience.

Back to my earthly father, his voice still echoes in my head.  I confess we were rascals growing-up.  So often, when unhappy with my disobedience, he would say with a degree of exasperation, “If you love me you will obey me!”  Jesus said the same thing in John 14:15.  Fearing God is knowing and respecting Him for who he is.  Wisdom begins with doing what he expects as evidence of our love for Him.  We love Him because he first loved us and we obey Him in return for his love for us.  If we remain in him, he will remain in us (John 5:5) and dwell in us (Ephesians 3:17) and fill us fully, to the brim with the fullness of Himself (Ephesians 3:19).  By knowing Him, respecting Him, and the wisdom of remaining in him, his “perfect love casts out all fear.” (1 John 4:18). 

This is why “the fear of the Lord,” knowing, respecting, and obeying God for who he is, “is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 111:10  Such fear is wisdom’s midwife.

HUMANITY'S WISDOM DEFICIT

In the media there is much talk about national and global financial deficits.  Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain all have one.  Here in the USA we have a whopping one the burden of which will be with us for a long time.  But the greater problem in not merely financial, which begs the question, “What could be more threatening?”  To that I would ask, “Does humanity suffer from a wisdom deficit?” Each day the news of the world is mind-boggling.  What a mess. Financial deficits are just one symptom of bigger, scarier things.  Like Diogenes walking around in the light of day with a lantern “looking for an honest man,” we find ourselves walking around looking for wise persons.  Where are obvious examples of wise discernment in local, national, and global leadership?  Where can we see practical wisdom?  Of course Diogenes was a cynic.  Cynicism aside, there are persons of practical of wisdom, but they are few and often not as apparent as their absence when so sorely needed. 

We see this at home from the US Congress and Executive Branch to life at the municipal and local level. There seems to be a shortage of wisdom in the world today, a deficit of the kind of wisdom that comes from exposures to good thinking and reflection in the context of learning from our mistakes.  At the same time, there is great wisdom to be found in obvious places, like the Scriptures, Old and New, the Psalms, Proverbs, and the sad story of God’s continuing grace in the face of Israel’s continual saga of hard-hearted disobedience and sin.

The Apostle Paul’s life was not easy.  He endured hostile rejection, persecution, physical violence, and a long litany of resistance to his ministry.  In the face of overwhelming adversity, by God’s grace he maintained a remarkably upbeat spirit. His spirit is seen in the words of wisdom that come from his life in the Spirit, through Scripture, prayer, listening to God, and reflection.  We see this early on in his letter to the Thessalonians written around 51 AD.  He writes a follow-up letter of encouragement to them from Corinth (selected verses of 1 Thessalonians 5:11-24):

“Encourage one another and build each other up. . . respect those who work hard among you . . . live in peace with each other . . . warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone . . . always be kind to each other and to everyone else.  Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not put out the Spirit’s fire . . .Test everything.  Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, should and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful. He will do it.”

Paul’s affirmation and encouragement is but one of so many passages in Scripture that speak wisdom into our hearts and lives.  So why is there seemingly such a shortage of wisdom in the world today, even among so many Christians.  Here’s part of the answer. We are too busy being attracted and distracted by other things.  There’s no time to read wisdom literature and ponder its value.  We are so distracted we lack the time and commitment to read, ponder, discuss, and apply the treasure trove of wisdom right at our finger tips. Perhaps we just don’t love ourselves and our Lord enough to take the time to listen (See Jeremiah 13:11), and too isolated from others by technology to hold each other accountable for our mistakes.   

I am speaking here about myself as well.  I confess my own failure when I say that Facebook, Twitter, high definition television, entertainment, sports programming,  and more have captured our hearts and shaped our habits.  They are quite amazing in what they offer, but face it.  We lack the windfall  of wisdom God provides because we are so attracted and distracted pursing other priorities.  You might say we are captured by subtle, but otherwise real idolatries which are increasingly available and distracting.

The one thing I can say in response to this shortfall in my own life:  Thank you God for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.  Conviction is a good thing that moves me to repentance, to an about-face from my old dysfunctional habits.  In repentance I turn my heart and attention toward you, O God, the source of all wisdom.  I know that in pondering and responding to the wisdom of your Word, you sanctify me, as the Apostle Paul says, “through and through.”

Thanks be to God!

KEEPING TRACK OF OUR VIRTUES

In a matter of weeks comes a season of college and university graduations followed by weddings, resumes, and job hunting.  On all fronts millions of graduates will be profiling, putting one’s best face forward for others to see, and casting light on personal virtues of value one might bring to the marketplace.  

It strikes me that there are two kinds of virtues.  They are not the same list of desirable attributes.  On job applications and letters of recommendation we will find such qualities as strategic thinking, multi-tasking, digital savvy and prowess, prior job experience, interpersonal skills, management expertise, task efficiency, responsible follow through, and an otherwise long list of job competencies related to specific fields of employment.  The hope is that the very name and reputation of their college or university will vouch for the value the job candidate brings to the workplace.  These characteristics we might call Resume' Virtues.  They are all about competence in one’s field or profession honed and cultivated by universities that aspire to produce graduates of competence.

Resume' virtues stand in contrast to another category of virtues.  There is very little about preparation for one’s first job success or professional competence that one may hear at a funeral in the reading of a eulogy.  These characteristics we might call Eulogy Virtues.   Such virtues speak to the goodness of a person, one’s character and heart for others, faithfulness, and kindness, even purity of spirit.  In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-10) the Beatitudes of Jesus give us a list of Eulogy virtues: poor in spirit, meekness (humility), righteousness, mercifulness, purity of heart, peacemaking, willingness to be persecuted because of righteousness.  The Apostle Paul gives us another listing in his letter to the Galatians (5:22&23), the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  What we so often hear in eulogies is what one did for others, stories of the abandonment of self-interest, sacrifice, sensitivities to others’ needs, positive actions taken in situations of compelling moral and ethical dilemmas, generosity of spirit and substance, and self-denial.

Eulogy virtues are not the stock and trade of most universities.  However, I’ve noticed that more and more employers are looking for eulogy virtues in graduates they hire and promote.  Their business success depends on attributes that go beyond competence.  They recognize that criminals can be competent, but lack integrity, honesty, and a sensitivity to the needs and interests of others.  In reality employers are looking for both types of virtue.  Even more, they hope for the rare combination of competence and character that transcends either one.  They are looking for wisdom beyond intellect, a wisdom of the head and heart. They seek a combination of humility, perceptive emotional intelligence, and a person's potential for growing in wisdom.  Wisdom is a rare gem of inestimable value at any age.

Finally, beyond graduation is yet another season now on our door step.  It’s the seemingly never ending campaign and national election of another US president to job #1.  Pray for candidates with more than an impressive resume' or (eventually) lovely eulogy.  Pray for both.  Pray for the wisdom in candidates that brings the virtues of the resume' and the eulogy together.  Pray then for the discernment of the public to elect a leader with wisdom whose competence and character we can trust.  And pray for families, faith communities, colleges and universities that can develop wise world leaders for the long run.

WISDOM IN THE SONGS OF ZION

Where can we go for wisdom?  What literature exists that readily expresses the fundamental truths of life with its joys and struggles, victories and defeats, mountaintop and valley encounters?  The obvious answer is the Bible.  But there is another source of wisdom and light.  It is the hymnal.  In The Salvation Army songbook (hymnal) we find a treasure trove of sacred poetry. It is filled with light.  Its songs and hymns are organized first around the Trinity (God the Father, The Lord Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit), the Gospel, and the Life of Holiness including the means of grace by which God blesses us and reveals Himself.  I often go there to take in the wisdom of the ages from poets and songwriters whose lives are testimonies to the grace and love of God, His provision of salvation, and His desire for fellowship and intimacy with us.

The poets and songwriters include saints down through the years including Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby, Martin Luther, Bernard of Clairvaux, William Cowper, Albert Orsborn, and Catherine Baird.  This morning it was the words of Mary Susan Edgar (1889-1973) that expressed my heart as prayer to God my Father:

God who touchest earth with beauty, make my heart anew.

With thy Spirit recreate me pure and strong and true.

Like thy springs and running waters, make me crystal pure.

Like they rock of towering grandeur, make me strong and sure.

Like thy dancing waves in sunlight, make me glad and free.

Like the straightness of the pine trees let me upright be.

Like the arching of the heavens, lift my thoughts above.

Turn my dreams to noble action, ministries of love.

Like the birds that soar while singing, give my heart a song.

May the music of thanksgiving echo clear and strong.

God who touchest earth with beauty, make my heart anew.

Keep me ever by thy Spirit pure and strong and true.

In the language of John Wesley, the hymnal is a “means of grace.”  It is filled with scripture crafted by the heart of the poet into song.  We need not wait to be in corporate worship.  We can sing the songs of Zion and the hymns of sacred consecration in the quiet of our personal time with God.  Any time and anywhere, we can give breath to a sacrifice of praise as encouraged by the old Salvation Army chorus –

We’ll sing in the morning the songs of salvation;

We’ll sing in the noontime the songs of His love.

And when we arrive at the end of our journey,

We’ll sing the songs of Zion in the courts above.