Wisdom is an elusive thing. We live in an information-saturated world and we have greater and faster access to knowledge and facts than ever before. But wisdom is not nearly so prevalent. Where should we look for wisdom? Prestigious schools? Engaging life-coaches? Motivational speakers? Social media? The Bible teaches us that there is ultimately only one source of wisdom—God himself. God offers to give us his wisdom and he promises that if we search for it diligently we will find it. 

In Proverbs 2:1–8, Solomon tells his son, “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come wisdom and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.”

Wisdom can be found if we seek it in the right manner and seek it from the right source. According to these words of Solomon, the correct way to seek wisdom is with diligence. Wisdom is more valuable than many riches (vs. 4) and must be sought as such. We should seek wisdom with the same earnestness and zeal that we would search for a hidden treasure or a deposit of gold. In our day and age, knowledge (information) comes so easily and with such little sacrifice that wisdom by comparison seems all the more difficult to find. But things worth having seldom come easily, and wisdom is no exception. As we go through life, let us be diligent about pursuing wisdom.

In addition to seeking wisdom in the right manner (diligently) we must also seek it from the right source. Ultimately, wisdom only comes from God (vs. 6). He delights in giving his wisdom to the upright, to those who walk in integrity (vs. 7) and he watches over their way (vs. 8). Many people are looking for wisdom everywhere except God and his word. God’s word doesn’t answer every question we’ll ever have, but it does give us wisdom. It teaches us how we should live lives that honor and glorify God. It keeps us from going through life unreflectively and forces us to come to terms with the things that matter most in life: our brokenness, our need for Jesus, our mortality, and eternity. Turn to God for his wisdom and diligently seek it in his word. His wisdom will guard us from many harms in this life and lead us to eternal joy in the next life.