Harry Chapin was my favorite singer in the 1970s. He was a singer-songwriter and hunger activist. He devoted 50% of his earnings to the cause of the world’s hungry.
One of his songs pictures the diverse life journeys of three individuals spanning different generations.
Meet Jenny, a mere four years old, brimming with boundless enthusiasm. Yet, her parents frequently dismiss her aspirations, but she knows what she likes.
Jason is aged ten. His parents brought him into this world with dreams of cherishing and nurturing him. However, at times, they are distant, leaving Jason longing for the affection he yearns for.
Then there’s Jonathan, a seasoned fifty-year-old soul. He finds himself pondering why he never pursued the dreams and ambitions he planned throughout his life’s journey.
To each of Chapin’s characters there is this refrain:
Someone keeps calling my name
Someone keeps calling my name
Or is it just the rustling of the wind
Or is it just that I need a friend
Someone keeps calling my name, my name
Like the characters in Chapin’s song, many yearn to live authentic lives. At the same time, they have numerous people telling them how they ought to live.
How do we find what is authentic?
The Bible teaches that true authenticity comes only when we are connected to the Lord and discover His plans and purposes for us.
Wisdom Calling Our Name
Amid the noise of people calling for us, Lady Wisdom comes to make her voice known.
Does not wisdom call
and understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
Beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out (Proverbs 9.1-3)
God’s wisdom competes with the many voices that call out to us.
This wisdom is the wisest of all because it is based on God’s principles, His plan and purpose for our lives.
We refuse Lady Wisdom to our peril. Every other kind of wisdom is infinitely inferior to hers.
It takes discipline to shut out all the noise of this world and listen for the voice of wisdom.
It takes courage to follow the direction God gives us when so much of this world system competes against us.
Harry Chapin is a good example of listening to the voice of Lady Wisdom.
At a time when rock stars were making millions of dollars, he was devoting his money to the cause of world hunger. He worked with President Jimmy Carter to establish an agency in the government to assist with hunger.
Rather than riding in a limousine or a tour bus, he was traveling in a 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit when his life ended all too soon due to car trouble and a collision with a semi-truck.
He was someone who heard the call to live out wisdom, as evidenced in the manner in which he carried out his life.
This is the epitaph on his gravestone.
Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man’s life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world
Battle for Those in the Middle
Lady Wisdom invites the naive to her education program, to learn prudence.
“To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all who live.
“O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.” (Proverbs 9.4-5)
There are three audiences in the book of Proverbs. The fools are those who believe they can live any way they want and have no accountability for their actions.
The wise, are those who have learned from Lady Wisdom and continue to learn.
The simple or naive, those who are in the middle. They’re possibly influenced by either the fools or the wise. They must choose wisdom.
Rudy Ross has discussed the root Hebrew meaning of prudence, being nude. This is an excellent picture of what we must do to receive the wisdom God wants to impart to us.
We must strip off all of our thoughts, opinions, and egos to be willing to receive open-hearted from the Lord.
When we consider the quality of life that someone like Harry Chapin lived, we are encouraged to choose wisdom.
Listening to God and actively obeying His direction is the pathway to godly wisdom.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 