What Are You Seeking? (Proverbs 18:15)
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Proverbs 18:15
‘An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.’
This verse reminds us of a simple but profound truth: wisdom and knowledge don’t come to us passively. They’re the result of a heart and mind actively pursuing them. But that begs the question (or questions): what does that look like, and how does it begin?
Well Proverbs 18:15 presents us a simple answer: Wisdom begins with a heart that’s been transformed by God. The word “intelligent” here isn’t about IQ or education—it’s about spiritual discernment. And we’re not born with that. We’re also not born with the ‘ear of the wise’.
By all accounts, Scripture tells us we’re born foolish and sinful, incapable of seeking, desiring, or knowing God on our own. But when God changes our hearts—when He replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh—everything changes.
When God gives us a new heart, our affections and desires change. Instead of chasing worldly things, our hearts are drawn toward God and His wisdom. It’s like resetting our spiritual compass. Our desires stop pointing toward worldly things and start pointing toward God and His wisdom.
In other words, a heart aligned with Christ produces desires aligned with Christ.
And Proverbs 18:15 shows us this alignment in action:
A heart made new by Christ acquires knowledge.
And an ear tuned to His voice seeks knowledge.
And why does this matter? Because anyone who’s tasted and seen the goodness of God knows there’s nothing more valuable than Him. His wisdom is greater than anything the world can offer. Really this is a simple equation. We seek God because our hearts are aligned with God.
But, if we’re honest, we don’t always live like this is true. And that’s because of our battle with sin and our flesh, where we choose to acquire and seek after things of this world, aligning our hearts with sin instead of the Spirit.
Think about that in relation to your life:
What do you spend most of your energy and attention chasing after? Is your heart set on acquiring material things—a better reputation, more money, or the approval of others? Or is your heart set on acquiring more of God—His wisdom, His character, His presence?
And what about your ears? What are you listening to? Are you tuning in to the voices of the world, letting them shape your desires? Or are you seeking the voice of God, through His Word, through prayer, and through godly counsel?
And when are you tempted to align your heart with things other than God?
These are hard questions, but I think they are great ones to reflect on. Proverbs 18:15 reminds us that a life of wisdom and knowledge begins with a heart and ear fully devoted to God—a life that seeks Him with all of its being.
Let’s take this verse to God in prayer today. Ask Him to reveal what your heart and ears are truly chasing after. Invite Him to reshape your desires and help you pursue Him above all else.
