Having wisdom helps us know what to say to others, and when to say it. Unless that wisdom comes from The Lord, it risks causing more problems. We need to offer to pray with the ones suffering and encourage them to hear from The Lord for themselves.

There are many occasions when we can be proud without pride becoming a problem. It is right for us to be proud of ourselves or our children when we or they achieve something difficult, or make an exceptional effort to reach a goal even if we (they) do not succeed.

Prudence is not a word we hear much in our day used in the context of a description for life. But in the past it was a popular name for girls, maybe given by parents who wanted their daughter to grow up with plenty of common sense, making wise decisions.

These verses inspired by God through King Solomon, who was known for his wisdom, tell us the contrary! From his exalted position as king of Israel, he recognised that all the money he had, and the power he exercised, was nothing compared with the wisdom he had received from The Lord.

The truth is that Jesus took all our headaches to the cross. He has the power to heal every sickness, and protect us from every epidemic. Believing His word is the answer to lots of the problems in our world, and also in many of the churches.

The writer of proverbs, speaking as a personification of wisdom, is confident that his words are true. The reason he gives for this is because of his hatred of wickedness. His words come from his heart, and his heart has been given to God.

Taken out of context, this sentence could be an election campaign speech! All candidates want us to listen. All candidates want us to think they are honest and trustworthy! That they are speaking only what is right! That they are the only ones to have the truth!

Wisdom personified is speaking to the whole world. Little did Solomon imagine the truth of what he was saying at that time, but today the whole world can hear what is being said in Bible truths if they take time to read or listen.

Whether what we read today in the media is the truth, is debatable. All that we hear is filtered through the media and the financial powers controlling it. These are not always reliable sources, and we need wisdom and guidance from God to know exactly what we should listen to.

There are often times when we need some good counsel or a listening ear. Often we need the prayers of more mature believers, or even people who are at a similar level to us, but who really are interested in what we do! Having someone who cares is important.