Morning Star, Come

O Morning Star,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.

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I have vivid memories of my father asking me, “Ellie, is that a wise decision?” When I was young that question was in regards to running too fast on the playground or perhaps wanting to spend my allowance on yet another Barbie doll (that I definitely didn’t need). As I got older, the question was in regards to asking to attend parties I had no business going to, taking out loans with high interest rates, or choosing to get a puppy right before I moved to New York. Decisions in the Taylor household were rarely simply right or wrong—the concept of wisdom was always at play as well.

As a child, and even a teenager, I’m not sure I fully understood the concept of wisdom. I knew it was something deeper than just good or bad, right or wrong, but I didn’t comprehend the full weight of it. I knew it was related to my faith in God and how He calls me to live my life as a Christian, but I didn’t understand how delicately wisdom is interwoven into every aspect of the Christian life.

One thing Scripture helps us understand is that wisdom is so much more than just an aspect of our relationship with God or a box to check off when making decisions. Wisdom is not just a character trait or something we grow into when we make lots of good decisions in a row. Scripture shows us that wisdom is important for us as Christians because Jesus Himself is the perfect embodiment of wisdom. As we grow to be more like Jesus, we grow in wisdom. 

Just as Jesus is the morning star who comes to light up the darkest of nights, wisdom is the key to lighting up the path before us. Often when faced with a difficult decision, we are tempted to ask God for a flood light to show us every right step for the next ten years. We want to make sure that we’re making the right decision that will set us up for success long after this decision-making moment has passed. But being in relationship with Jesus helps us learn how to walk in wisdom each day—our morning star provides just enough light to show us the wisest next step for our feet to take. And once we take that step, the light of wisdom will illuminate the next step. This pattern can continue for the rest of our lives—if we trust Christ to give us wisdom when we ask for it.

Paul writes to the church in Corinth that Jesus is the “power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Corinthians 1:24). Being both fully God and fully man, the fullness of God’s wisdom was present in Jesus as He lived on earth. And now, we have the wisdom of Jesus written down for us to help us grow in wisdom ourselves. We have the same parables He taught to challenge His followers challenging us today. We have the stories of miracles and healings to remind us of His power and glory. We can grow in wisdom because Jesus shows us how to do so, right here in the pages of Scripture. He is our morning star, pointing us towards the Father, showing us the way back home.