Today’s Daily Office readings invite us into one of life’s deepest questions. In the Book of Wisdom, the writer asks:
“Who has learned your counsel, unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?”
— Wisdom 9:17
It is an honest question. Human beings long for certainty. We want answers, clarity, direction, and control. Yet the Scriptures repeatedly remind us that the mind of God is not something we conquer through intellect alone. Divine wisdom is not merely accumulated knowledge. It is learned through humility, compassion, grace, and transformed living.
The Psalmist in Psalm 56 cries out from a place of fear and vulnerability:
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Trust becomes the doorway to wisdom.
The readings from Colossians and Luke seem to answer the question raised in Wisdom: How do human beings begin to understand the counsel of God? Paul and Jesus point us toward a way of life rather than a system of abstract ideas.
Walking in Wisdom
Paul writes in Colossians 4:5-6:
“Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.”
Notice what Paul does not say. He does not describe wisdom as theological superiority, religious pride, or winning arguments. Wisdom is revealed in gracious speech, compassionate presence, and how we treat other people.
A person may memorize Scripture, defend doctrine, and argue theology while still failing to embody the spirit of Christ.
Paul suggests that true wisdom has texture. It sounds gracious. It listens before speaking. It values people over position. It recognizes that every conversation carries sacred weight because every person bears the image of God.
“Seasoned with salt” suggests speech that preserves life rather than destroys it. Salt heals, flavors, and protects. In a world saturated with outrage, contempt, and division, gracious speech itself becomes a spiritual practice.
Perhaps this is part of the counsel of God: wisdom is not proven by domination but by love expressed through humility.
The Woman at the Table
Luke 7:36-50 gives us one of the most beautiful and shocking scenes in the Gospels.
Jesus is invited to dine at the home of Simon the Pharisee. During the meal, a woman known in the city as a sinner enters the room. She kneels at Jesus’ feet, weeping. Her tears wash his feet. Her hair dries them. She kisses them and anoints them with ointment.
Simon immediately judges her.
More importantly, he judges Jesus for allowing her near him.
Simon possesses religious knowledge, social respectability, and moral certainty. Yet he cannot recognize grace unfolding right in front of him.
The woman, however, understands something Simon does not.
She understands mercy.
Jesus tells Simon:
“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love.”
Love becomes the evidence that grace has truly been received.
Simon saw categories: sinner, respectable, clean, unclean.
Jesus saw a wounded human being longing for healing and restoration.
This story reveals something essential about the counsel of God. Divine wisdom does not merely analyze human failure; it seeks human restoration. God’s wisdom moves toward mercy.
The woman approaches Jesus with vulnerability, honesty, and love. Simon approaches with judgment and distance.
Only one leaves transformed.
The Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day often possessed knowledge without compassion. They knew laws but struggled to embody mercy. Their certainty became a barrier to grace.
This danger still exists today.
We can become so concerned with being correct that we forget to be kind.
We can defend religion while failing to reflect the heart of God.
We can talk endlessly about holiness while neglecting love, compassion, forgiveness, and humility.
Wisdom asks us to see differently.
It teaches us that people are more than the worst thing they have done.
It reminds us that every human being carries hidden wounds, untold stories, silent griefs, and sacred worth.
The counsel of God becomes clearer when we begin to love as Christ loved.
What These Readings Say to Us Today
Psalm 56 reminds us to trust God in fearful times.
Wisdom 9 reminds us that human understanding is limited without the Spirit of God.
Colossians 4 reminds us that wisdom is revealed through gracious speech and compassionate living.
Luke 7 reminds us that mercy often sees more clearly than religious pride.
Together these readings invite us to become people whose lives reflect grace.
Not harshness, but gentleness.
Not superiority, but humility.
Not condemnation, but healing.
Not fear, but trust.
The woman at Jesus’ feet discovered something Simon missed entirely: God’s wisdom is inseparable from God’s mercy.
And perhaps that is the beginning of understanding the counsel of God itself.
A Prayer for the Curious Pilgrim
Lord of mercy and wisdom,
teach us to walk gently through this world.
When we are tempted to judge, give us compassion.
When we are afraid, teach us trust.
When our words become sharp, season them with grace.
Open our eyes to see people as you see them—
not as categories, failures, or labels,
but as beloved souls longing for healing and hope.
Send your Spirit from on high,
that we may learn your counsel
not only with our minds,
but with our hearts and lives.
Amen.
The Curious Pilgrim 
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