Proverbs 4:7

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom writings largely associated with King Solomon, who ruled Israel around 970-930 BC and was famous for asking God for wisdom above wealth, long life, or military victory. In this verse, a father passionately urges his son to pursue wisdom as the highest priority in life — and to pay whatever price it requires. In the biblical tradition, wisdom is not merely intelligence or accumulated knowledge. It is the deep, practical understanding of how life actually works — how to make decisions that align with God's way of seeing reality, and how to live well in the truest sense. The father's urgency is real: some things worth having require genuine sacrifice to obtain.

God, I am surrounded by information and starving for wisdom. I don't ask for it to seem impressive or to have the right answers — I ask because I genuinely don't know how to navigate what is in front of me. Give me what Solomon asked for. I will pay whatever it costs. Amen.

We don't talk about wisdom much anymore. We talk about skills, credentials, content strategies, and personal brands. We outsource our thinking to algorithms and our moral compass to whoever is loudest online. But here is an ancient father — possibly the wealthiest man alive at his time — telling his son to forget everything else: get wisdom first. Not money. Not influence. Wisdom. And not at a discount — whatever it costs, pay it. The problem is that wisdom is slow. It cannot be downloaded. It is earned through experience, failure, sitting with questions that don't resolve quickly, listening to people you'd rather dismiss, staying in uncomfortable situations long enough to actually learn from them. You probably know someone who is genuinely wise — and if you think about the life they've lived, you'll notice the price they paid. The invitation here isn't to be overwhelmed. It's to prioritize. What one thing in your life right now calls for a wisdom you don't yet have? And are you willing to do what it actually takes to get it?