What's wrong with this picture?We are about to embark on a voyage that may well take the rest of our lives.
As I pondered how to continue with this recovery devotional journal, I thought about going through the Psalms. But I'm doing that with my FaithWalkDaily devotion so I wanted to do something different. It occurs to me that from the Bible the best advice for those recovering from addiction is found in the book of Proverbs.
A little background for those who don't know. Proverbs were written by Solomon, son of David (great, great, great...granddaddy of Jesus.) God offered Solomon anything his heart desired. Solomon asked only for wisdom. For his humble request the Lord not only blessed him with more wisdom than anyone of his day, he also bestowed him with abundant wealth. Solomon was a very rich smart guy. We are wise to read what he had to say, as applicable today as it was when Solomon ruled Israel.
The first lesson we might learn from King Solomon's decision is God blesses the humble.
Proverbs 1:1-7
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young —5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance —6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young —5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance —6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
He wrote the book to pass on his wisdom to others. Believe me, writing takes time and effort, even if one loves to write as I do. Imagine the setting, back in the day, before computers, typewriters, even before ballpoint pens and college ruled spiral notebooks. He was writing on parchment with a quill pen dipped in ink. If he wrote at all. He may well have had a scribe who did all the work while the King spoke. Either way, this was no small task. There are, in all, thirty-one chapters in this book, some quite lengthy. We will only chew on a few verses at a time.
The goal in writing this book was for the sake of the reader to acquire a disciplined life, mindful of others, in manner, attitude and actions. Solomon ends the first chapter with his first morsel of wisdom: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
One of the greatest if not the greatest tools of recovery is the wisdom of those who have gone before. I may be clean and sober 18 years but there is always someone who has walked this path longer than I, who has more to offer. We are always one bite, one sip, one snort, or one image away from falling back into the pit of our addictions.
So first, to fear the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. We must first believe God exists and realize the magnitude of His greatness (He created everything, including us, what more can be said?) What does that say about the man who does not believe God? He believes himself. He despises wisdom and discipline. He'd rather do it his own way.
You and I already know how far going our own way can take us. For me, it was right to the edge of hell. One more step into alcoholism and I would have fallen into a bottomless chasm from which there was not return.
When I called a friend from my youth who had been something of a surrogate mother to me, the beginning of wisdom was following direction when she said, "call AA." It was through AA that I came to believe in a power greater than myself and ultimately came to faith in Jesus Christ.
I'm going to expose the raw truth about me. Wisdom told me 25 years ago not to leave my three young sons to move to another state. I shunned wisdom. I despised discipline. I did it my way. As a result I lost custody and sank to the lowest depths of the bottle. It has taken me many, many years to rebuild relationships with those young men, the same you see pictured above. It's not all good now. It gets better every day, month by month, year by year. But they too now fight the beast. What's wrong with the picture? They're all hungover.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. He is a merciful and loving God who guides me in recovery to stay clean, sober and abstinent, one day at a time by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gives me wisdom to study His word and live a disciplined life. He guides me in paths of righteousness and is helps me rebuild torn relationships and heal broken hearts.
Fools despise wisdom and discipline. I praise God that I am no longer a fool, but cherish the wisdom of those who share their experience, strength and hope with me. I welcome discipline, even when it hurts. Being refined is a painful process but the final result is a sparkling gem in the crown of my Lord and Savior.
Father we come to You today hungry for Your wisdom, with desire to grow in knowledge and faith, willing to accept the refiner's fire to be tempered for Your purposes. We praise and thank You for the marvelous ways You are working in each of our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.
