This post is part of the weekly series, “His Encouragement: Thursday Thoughts from Scripture to Strengthen Your Soul.” 

 

The Wise Owl

Key Verse:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

(Proverbs 9:10, NIV)

Suggested Reading: Proverbs 9:1-12

 

I Collect Owls!

A fun fact about me is that I absolutely love owls. I love owls so much that when Jeff and I got married, our theme was owls! Our invitations had little owls on them, we used a birdcage to store the greeting cards we received, and a miniature bride and groom owl adorned the top of our cake.

I started collecting owls because I always believed that the owl was a sign of wisdom. I’ve collected owls for years. Right now, there is an entire parliament of owls in my office! (Fun fact: Did you know that a flock of owls is called a parliament?) During the week, as a I sit in the office and work my sermons, there are over one hundred pairs of wise owl eyes starring at me as I write.

True Wisdom Is the Fear of the Lord

It may sound silly, but for a long time I hoped that if I surrounded myself with enough owls, perhaps some of their wisdom would rub off on me. I always knew that this was a somewhat silly notion, but I didn’t realize just how silly it was until one day as I sat and studied the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs is a book of wisdom literature in the Old Testament that is attributed to the writings of King Solomon. In Proverbs, there are many wise sayings that are helpful for us as we travel on our faith journey as Christians. Proverbs tell us that, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

We Are Not Wise Unless We Know God

The word, “ fear” in the Scripture is linked to a sense of awe and wonder. God is mighty and awe inspiring. Our Creator is worthy to be praised. When we come face to face with the Almighty Creator, there is nothing we can do but fall on our knees and worship the One who holds the world in the palm of their hand.

I can surround myself with as many owls as I want, but unless I fear God, I will not know true wisdom. On a deeper level, we can read hundreds of books, memorize huge chunks of scripture, and ace every exam, but unless we know and love God, we will never be truly wise.

Prayer of the Owl:

Great Creator-

“The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”

Who loves us like you do?

Who knows our sorrows and our hurts?

Who knows every hair on our heads?

Who calls us by name?

No one but you, O God.

Help us to be truly wise and to follow you.

Amen.

 

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This post is part of the series, “His Encouragement: Thursday Thoughts to Strengthen Your Soul.”

Thursdays are always a really long day of the week for me. As a pastor, Sunday feels like the natural beginning of my week. By the time I get to Thursday, I am tired and drained. That’s why I’m excited to join with a group of blogging friends in order to offer you a weekly devotional which will be posted every Thursday.

Please be sure to check out the other great bloggers involved in the His Encouragement weekly series!