Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 111
I saw a quote earlier this week that said, “We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.” And I believe that is true.
Never before in human history have we had access to so much information, so quickly. Yet, has all this information led to an increase in wisdom? One look around the world today, and that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Psalm 111 tells us why. The psalmist uses wisdom to teach us about wisdom. And in the very last verse, he reveals that the path to wisdom doesn’t begin with gaining more knowledge or information. Instead, it begins with “the fear of the Lord.”
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
Fortunately, the psalmist doesn’t make this statement in a vacuum. Just the opposite—he fills the entire psalm with reasons why fearing the Lord is the source of true wisdom.
Look again at the truths we discover about God in Psalm 111:
His works are great… His righteousness endures forever… He is gracious and compassionate… The works of His hands are faithful and just… His name is holy and awesome.
These attributes—and many more—remind us that God’s ways are greater than ours. He alone is the source of true wisdom, true power, and true love. And it is only in holy reverence of Him and obedience to His ways that wisdom can truly be found.
So today, let’s focus our hearts and minds on Him. Let’s study who He is. Let’s spend intentional time in His presence. Let’s marvel at His works. And let’s faithfully follow His precepts.
Because when we do, wisdom will find us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of wisdom available to us through you. Thank you even more for the gift of yourself and your Son, who died on the cross for my sins. Help me to fear you with reverence and trust you with confidence. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.