The Voice We Missed

14 There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. 15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.” Ecclesiastes 9:14-16

A king has surrounded a small city. Few people are inside. But a poor man has wisdom that saves them. Then comes the sentence I can't get past: nobody remembered him.

Imagine walking through a city still standing because someone you barely noticed knew what to do. And yet the Teacher says this man's wisdom was despised.

I’ve noticed how much easier it is for me to listen when someone has a familiar name or speaks with confidence. But this man had wisdom before anyone recognized it. His poverty didn't make him any less wise, though it seems to have made him easier to overlook.

Who am I missing? Who have I quietly decided has nothing to teach me?

Father, keep me from confusing a person's standing with the worth of what they have to say. Give me the humility to listen, especially to those I might otherwise overlook.