Rational Faith, Real Wisdom

Spirituality Column #102
October 21, 2008
Current in Carmel (IN), Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Rational Faith, Real Wisdom
By Bob Walters

Perhaps the Bible’s simplest book to understand is Proverbs.

It plays well to any crowd … everyone wants to be wise. And Proverbs is, front to back, advice on wisdom: How to get it. How to keep it. How to recognize it. How to increase it. How to apply it. How to share it.

Proverbs is 31 chapters of wisdom one-liners.

It also gives nearly equal time to fools: How to be one. How to recognize one. How to avoid being one.

Nothing else in the Bible is so secularly clear, so spiritually uplifting, and so humanly convicting all at the same time. Proverbs is a close-up look into a brightly-lit wisdom mirror.

The hardest thing about reading Proverbs is its common construction of couplets that tug us in two directions at once, e.g.: “The wise do this, but a fool does that.” Gosh, some of those first ones make me feel smart; and too many of the second ones make me feel dumb.

Proverbs insists that we are down-to-the-bone honest with ourselves. You can’t fool Proverbs.

In our everyday lives too often we confuse wisdom with simple book-learned knowledge. Too often in culture we see people praying at the altar of rationality and logic.

Knowledge, rationality and logic are good, but it’s wise to at least occasionally consider that they are manmade. I think, therefore I am. That is Descartes, not the Bible.

Proverbs tells us that true wisdom comes from God and resides in faith.

A dear friend advised me, in a time of emotional confusion, to consider Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Lean not on my own understanding? Before I was a believer, I couldn’t imagine. As a believer, I shudder at the thought of having nothing but my own understanding.

I think, therefore I am? That’s rational.

I think, therefore I pray. That’s wise.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) suggests a month of Proverbs … read one chapter a day. Consider it “Vitamin P.”