“How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” (Proverbs 16:16)
Gold and silver are tangible. Treasure that we can weigh them, count them, deposit them, and spend them. Wisdom and understanding are none of those things, and yet Solomon says they are better. Not slightly better—MUCH better! Not in a someday, pie-in-the-sky sense—but right here and now.
God is patiently teaching me this promise.
Just over a year ago, the Lord made it clear that I was to surrender one week a month away from practicing law and give that week to GoFaithStrong. I was so afraid that it took me about six months to take the plunge. So we began in January of this year. I was nervous because I did not see how the bills were going to get paid with me working less. But every single month, without fail, the Lord has provided.
And in the space that surrender created, the ministry has grown in ways I clearly could not have engineered on my own.
Was it an easy decision? Yes and no. It was easy because the moment I stepped onto the path God had for me, I felt the peace that surpasses understanding, which Paul describes in Philippians 4:7. But it was also hard, because I could not see the financial outcome in advance, and I could not always be physically present in the office to answer questions or make sure the firm ran smoothly. What an excellent way to learn that God’s ways are simply not my ways:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Proverbs gives us a whole cluster of verses that demonstrate that when we let God into every chamber of our lives, not just the parts that feel safe to hand over, He shows us the true, eternal value of doing things His way. Consider Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
That phrase “in all your ways” is comprehensive. It covers our personal lives, our home lives, our relationships, our work, our finances, and yes, even our calendars. Every chamber. Or Proverbs 16:3 and Proverbs 16:9:
“Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.”
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”
I had reasonable plans. Responsible plans—built around billable hours and client obligations. But the Lord directed my steps somewhere my own planning would never have taken me, and the reward was not a bigger bank account. It was something Solomon calls better than gold: wisdom, understanding, and a deeper working knowledge of who God is, found when we trust Him with what we cannot see. Proverbs 16:20 sums up the promise plainly:
“He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.”
The word “happy” is not shallow or fleeting. It describes the settled, rooted contentment that comes from knowing you are exactly where God wants you, even when the logistics are messy and the outcome seems uncertain.
Here is what I am learning over these past nine months: God’s greatest treasure is experienced in the full surrender to Him.
Every chamber we open to God—our schedules, our income, our relationships, our reputations—becomes a place where He can prove Himself faithful in ways gold could never buy. God has given each of us a unique and wonderful purpose to glorify Him exactly where we are in life. We are not all lawyers. We are not all called to surrender the same week, the same career, or the same relationship. Your chamber may look nothing like mine. But every single one of us has some area we are holding back, some room in the house of our lives where we have quietly hung a “do not enter” sign, even for God.
Maybe you are a teacher, and the area God is asking you to surrender is your evenings and weekends—time you have carefully guarded for yourself—so that you can mentor the one struggling student nobody else has time for.
Maybe you are in sales or business, and God is asking you to surrender the client relationship or the deal you have been chasing too aggressively, the one that has become more important to you than your integrity.
Maybe you are retired, and God is asking you to surrender the comfort of your routine to serve somewhere uncomfortable—a shelter, a hospital room, or a neighbor you have been avoiding.
Maybe you are in ministry already, and God is asking you to surrender the size or the visibility of what you are building, trusting Him with growth instead of engineering it yourself.
None of our acts of surrender look alike, and none of them are small. Each one asks the same question mine did: “Can you trust God with an outcome you cannot see?” For me, it was a law practice and a calendar. For you, it may be something entirely different. But I believe the principle holds true across every walk of life, because Solomon did not write Proverbs 16:16 just for lawyers. He wrote it for anyone willing to trade what they can hold on to for a treasure they cannot.
Ask God to give you His perspective to see what you’re not yet surrendering. There is priceless treasure waiting for each of us in surrendering to God.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for showing me that Your ways are higher than mine, even when I cannot see Your plan. Forgive me for the times I have held tightly to areas of my life out of fear rather than opening them to You in trust. Give me the courage to surrender every chamber—my work, my finances, my relationships, and my time—to You. Show me the areas I cannot see—the guarded rooms I have not yet handed over to You. Thank You for being faithful to provide exactly what I need exactly when I need it, and thank You for the priceless treasure of wisdom that only comes from walking in obedience to You. Help me to trust You fully, even when I can’t see the outcome. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
