Dear Amy,

What is wisdom in the secret heart?

This phrase is used by David in his psalm of repentance, following his crisis of being confronted by the prophet Nathan about his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite⸺confronted with the wickedness and wretchedness of his sinful heart, desperate to be restored into relationship with the Lord, desperate to be clean, desperate to have again a right spirit within him. And at this time of crisis suddenly he is given real insight, which comes as a shaft of light in the darkness.

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

― Psalm 51:6

This is not something he has known in recent times, and he longs for it. But what is it exactly?

This word wisdom is what appears throughout the book of Proverbs, and in particular,

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

― Proverbs 9:10

We simply must start there, with reverent awe and wonder before the greatness of who God is and what he has done⸺this is wisdom’s beginning. Everything we do and all that we are must be oriented to acknowledge and honour the Lord.

Wisdom continues with our behaviour. What we do, look at, read, watch, listen to, and where and with whom we go, these all shape us, and require ruthless consistency if we are to live with wisdom. We see its absence so clearly in that hapless, foolish youth of Proverbs 7 walking in the way of temptation, thinking it was his lucky day.

… as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.

― Proverbs 7:23

Behavioural wisdom can save us from such an outcome⸺but that is nothing more than Wisdom 101. Wisdom in the secret heart goes beyond that, far beyond. As far as this, in fact:

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

― Proverbs 4:23

I must consider then what it means to keep my heart with all vigilance. This is about what I set my affection upon, what I long for, the narrative I pursue with myself when I grapple with life’s ups and downs, the truths I cling to, the battles I fight, the Lord I honour, or not. All of this is in the secret heart. It is this that determines the whole course of my life, and it is this that the Lord desires to teach me.

What does it look like, this wisdom in the secret heart? Nothing visible externally, at least, nothing directly visible. For surely it results in a groundedness, an authenticity which is truly compelling, when there is truth in the inward being, when the secret heart is aligned with all that pleases and glorifies the Lord. And then:

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being.

― Psalm 51:6a

Integrity is found in the secret heart. Truth is found in the secret heart. Wisdom is found in the secret heart. And the Lord delights in these.

With all vigilance, Amy, pursue wisdom in the secret heart, for from it flow the springs of life! 🙏