A Magnolia's Heart Beats

Thankful Thursday - Wisdom

Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage is hosting Thankful Thursday for the month of March. This week she has chosen wisdom and has shared one of my favorite Proverbs.

I am so thankful for the wisdom God grants us. Truly the fear of the Lord is what leads to this wisdom.

The Hebrew word for fear is yir'ah. It means:

1) fear, terror, fearing
a) fear, terror
b) awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear)
c) fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety
d) revered

I do fear and revere the Lord, not in a scary kind of way, but in what I call "holy fear". It's a healthy respect of honoring God for Who He is. Once we have this fear of the Lord, the wisdom that comes from Him begins in our lives.

The Hebrew word for wisdom is chokmah. This noun means:

1) wisdom
a) skill (in war)
b) wisdom (in administration)
c) shrewdness, wisdom
d) wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs)
e) wisdom (ethical and religious)

The Hebrew root word for the word for wisdom above is the verb chakam. It means:

1) to be wise
a) (Qal) to be or become wise, act wisely
b) (Piel) to make wise, teach wisdom, instruct
c) (Pual) to be made wise
d) (Hiphil) to make wise
e) (Hithpael) to show oneself wise, deceive, show one's wisdom.

This week I am thankful for the wisdom that He has given me in choosing the right doctor to go to, the wisdom to know my physical limitations during illness, and the wisdom to learn more about prudence and discretion in conversations. I'm also grateful for the wisdom that has come through reading His Word. He has given me a spirit of wisdom in seeking Him and thirsting for His Word that I have never found before. Each time I think I am full, my cup just overflows with the blessings found in His Word. If I hadn't ever feared the Lord, I know I wouldn't recognize the signs of wisdom He has placed before me in seeking Him through His Word. I have really enjoyed reading through Genesis and Exodus as of late, as well as Acts and Psalms. I'm beginning Exodus 26 tomorrow and in the New Testament will be reading beginning with Acts 24.

There are many ways to exercise the God-given wisdom we have been given through fearing the Lord. I am so thankful for each opportunity to use wisdom and pray that I do use it often and in a way that brings God glory.

W - Wisely seek God's will for your life. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." ~ Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

I - Intentionally spend time in the Word of God. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." ~ Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

S - Show your wisdom by being obedient to the commands of God. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." ~ John 14:21 (NIV)

D - Determine to remain humble in your wisdom. "The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." ~ Proverbs 15:33 (NIV)

O - Offer good characteristics with wisdom. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." ~ James 3:17 (NIV)

M - Maintain a healthy fear of the Lord. "The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous." ~ Psalm 19:19 (NIV)

Thank you, Lynn, for hosting this month, and for choosing such a great topic! Be sure to visit other Thankful Thursday posts by clicking on the button below and link up, leaving a Thankful Thursday post of your own.

I pray you have a Thankful Thursday. I went back to work Wednesday but am still not well, so using the wisdom God gave me, I'm listening to my body and am going to rest some more, trying to heal and taking the medication I have been given. This sinus infection, ear infections, bronchitis, respiratory virus, and sore throat are about to do me in. Sometimes I think the medication is worse than the illness with the side effects. It's hard to exercise wisdom when taking this powerful cough syrup; yet if I don't take the medicine, I won't get well and mend. I am feeling better. The fever is gone and the stuff in my chest is breaking up. It is really wearing me out, though. It may take me a while to visit everyone tomorrow, but I'm going to try! You're all such an encouragement and inspiration to me, and I truly appreciate your prayers during this time. Please keep my husband in your prayers now. It looks like I have shared the love with him.

And while I'm mentioning prayers, my dear friend Melly goes for her PET Scan today (Thursday). Please pray with us that there is no indication of anything on her lungs at all. Our God is Able! We know this and trust His plan for her. Melly read your comments from when I asked for prayer for her before and she was just so thankful. I wanted to say thank you, too. Ya'll are some great prayer warriors! Your wisdom in prayer and our reliance on God's wisdom in handling our prayer requests is truly humbling.