Empowered Leaders Call Upon Wisdom
The Book of Proverbs says a lot about wisdom. For example, in Proverbs 9:10 Solomon, who was the wisest man on earth, at least until Jesus said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Romans 3:18, says that our chief sin is that we "have no fear of God at all.”
Divine love and wisdom are most needed on Earth, and it is the most opposed as well.
What does it mean to fear God? The broad command to “fear the Lord” involves understanding a few things about a person’s relationship with God. In Hebrew, there are two words for fear; pachad and yirah. Discerning the difference between these two Hebrew words can provide clarity. “Pachad” is the over-reactive, irrational fear that stems from worries about what could happen; imagine the worse case scenario that manifests as anxiety—the mind. “Yirah” is understood as a sense of awe, it is recognized as a mysterious sense of inspiration—the heart. You might experience yirah when you are doing your soul’s work. Pachad can stop you in your tracks; while yirah propels you into uncharted terriorty. Both fears exist to protect us, however wisdom often invites us to count the cost of pachad and to step into yirah.
Knowing God and understanding his character means accepting the fact that his justice and holiness set him above all else. Problems today arise when people are brought up to believe in an angry, vengeful, ruthless and punitive God; thus separation from God emerges instead of reverence and respect for God.
Wisdom demands that we recognize that God is loving, merciful and forgiving; but God is also holy, just and righteous.
Fear of the Lord produces awe. “Seeing” the Lord is understood to be in wonder of his holiness, to give him reverence and to honor him as God. For example, when God revealed himself to the Israelites at Mount Sinai they all “trembled” in fear, because of his great power (Ex 19:16). They begged Moses “to deliver God’s message to them so they would not have to personally encounter God (Ex 20:18-19; Dt 5:22-27).” Also, when the psalm writer reflects on God as Creator, he says: “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. (Ps 33:8-9)”
James asked the rhetorical question, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” We see wisdom is meek. There is a difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:13-17)” In today’s socio-economic and political world it is easy to forget to be guided by wisdom.
It is wisdom that will get us out of our poverty; physical, mental, emotional, financial, political, ecological and spiritual.
An empowered leader simply needs to get in touch with their insight, and sense of compassion to truly demonstrate the depth of their wisdom. When you connect with the wisdom in you (Christ-consciousness), you will find that there is an unlimited wellspring of wisdom available to you. Our capacity to tap into our intuition, to take into account the needs of those around us, and to view a situation with love and compassion, are ways that we can show the world the true power that is part of our divine nature. When we learn to integrate this source of wisdom into our daily tasks and decision-making, not only will we see the world in a different light, but we will start to realize the potential for this love energy to both empower ourselves and those around us.
In the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln spoke of the tragedies and gifts of the Civil War saying, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom…”
Ninety-eight years later in 1961; President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address, stated: “…For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.”
Earthly wisdom is not wisdom because “the wisdom of this world is folly with God. (1 Cor. 3:19)”
God is the source of wisdom. Wisdom begins with reverence for God, and a love relationship with Him. Jesus said in the famous oration—commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Mt. 5:1-12)”
Solomon, Lincoln, Kennedy and Jesus were empowered leaders; they all realized God’s love and wisdom. What does leading with wisdom mean to you?
