“Blessed are those who find wisdom, and those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 3:13-15 (NIV)
I ran across this verse of scripture after a very strange dream I had last Saturday night. Dreams don’t always make sense, or leave us with a special meaning. In fact, I hardly ever remember what I dreamed, but once in a while, a dream stays with me and leaves me with a message or a meaning to meditate on.
I dreamed I was talking with some new people in a church. It became late and everyone said goodbye and one lady named Sophia, looked at her watch and it was 11:30 pm. I am never awake at that hour, and I remember looking at her watch and being surprised at the time. We headed out the door together, but the weird thing is that we were both walking home, not driving. She mentioned where she lived, which was in my neighborhood, so we decided to walk home together.
It was very dark outside, and we had to walk in the street since there was no sidewalk. I looked down at my clothing, which was also dark in color and thought of the danger as cars were driving past us on the dark street. Then I looked at Sophia’s clothes and they were very bright and lit up. As we walked, I felt safe with Sophia walking by my side. She lit up the path as we walked down the dark street.
She disappeared briefly as we passed some tall bushes, so I called out to her, “Sophia, where are you?” She answered me and reappeared, coming out from behind the tall bushes. I was relieved to hear her answer me, and then we continued to walk on the lighted path.
Before we ever arrived home, I woke up from the dream, and wondered what it could all mean, since all the details remained in my mind. That’s when I came across the beautiful scripture in Proverbs today. I know that the name Sophia in Greek translates to “Wisdom.” I wondered if Sophia in my dream, was a symbol or representation of God’s wisdom.
Walking in the dark feels like a lot of the experiences we go through in life. We encounter unexpected difficulties and some trials can make us feel like we are lost, trying to find our way on a dark street, all the while feeling vulnerable to danger. We may have no idea which way to go or what to do, and we desperately need direction. We need God’s wisdom to come and light our path.
In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is a woman, and referred to as “she” or “her” throughout the whole book. Christian and Jewish theologians agree that wisdom is personified as a lady in the book of Proverbs. The Hebrew word for wisdom, “Khachmah” is even a grammatically feminine word. It convinced me that Sophia, the woman in my dream, was a symbol representing God’s wisdom.
God wants us to seek His wisdom in every difficulty we face. It’s the most valuable of spiritual gifts because wisdom gives us strength and understanding, long before our prayers for deliverance or healing are ever answered. Wisdom changes our perspective of things, and builds up our faith, which leads to peace. That’s why Solomon spoke about wisdom as an investment, saying that wisdom yields a better return than gold, and is more profitable than silver.
I am pretty quick to ask God to remove a problem, but I am learning that He wants me to first ask for His wisdom regarding that problem. Asking for wisdom is not usually the first thing I think to ask for, but when I do ask for it, God gives it, and I realize I should have asked for it a long time ago. I recognize now, that Sophia in my dream, was reminding me to seek first His wisdom so that I can walk in the light each day.
When I lost sight of Sophia in the dream, I called her and she answered and reappeared from behind the tall bushes, and then we walked on together. Those tall bushes are like the problems that distract or blind us from God’s wisdom during times of distress or trouble. Instead of letting anger or fear take over in the moment, if we ask for wisdom, God gives it to us, and lights up our path.
When I encounter any challenge, or people who are difficult to deal with,
I think God wants me to first ask for His wisdom to understand things and people better. David understood this, when he said,
“Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.” (Psalm 119:98)
God’s wisdom makes us wiser than what our emotions dictate to us.
Walking in the light of God’s wisdom, means seeing His perspective in every problem. If we ask Him, He will give us wisdom in every challenge and difficulty that we face, which leads to peace.
When we left the church to start walking home, in the dream, Sophia looked at her watch and it was 11:30 at night. In that part of the dream, God was telling me to live like it’s always the 11th hour, as if the day is almost done. It reminds me of Paul’s words to the Romans,
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)
No one knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ second coming, but if we pray for wisdom, and wear His armor of light, through all the trials in our lives, He will guide our path until He comes again. Nothing is needed more in the 11th hour than to seek God’s wisdom.
I woke up before ever reaching my home in that dream, probably because wisdom is meant to strengthen our faith and guide us in the present, before we reach our final destination in Heaven.
Lord, give us the wisdom to see your perspective in all the situations of our lives. Let us walk in the armor of your light, and lead us to the peace that passes all understanding. Amen