Words Creating Space

Our stories are part of God’s good story, the narrative of His people.  And it is a story where we are invited to know the Author of the story, the One whose good revelations, God’s wisdom, we can trust!   In His wisdom, God created you, He created me.  Who else could ever be wise enough to conceive of the idea of us, then to follow up with creating us?  “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  God blessed them . . . . God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. . . “ (Genesis 1: 27-28a, 31a).  In that wisdom of creating man and woman, God saw that it was very good!   

Just as God cannot be considered apart from the goodness He exudes, so He is also infused with wisdom.  It is an intrinsic part of His character, and true wisdom belongs only to Him.  “By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place, by His knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.”  (Proverbs 3: 19-20).  

Wisdom, for me, is an intimidating word, implying founts of knowledge and understanding difficult to attain, so I steer clear of it.  Yet, I can seek to walk in God’s wisdom, but how do I do that?  Well, the fact that the entire book of Proverbs is devoted to wisdom underscores the importance of a wisdom that comes from a desire to be in right relationship with God (renowned theologian Warren Wiersbe in his book on Proverbs from his Bible Study Series, p. 7).  No wonder it’s what Solomon asked for! 

So why don’t we seek it more often?  How many times do we struggle with a decision, praying about it, seeking discernment from the Holy Spirit—whether it be about a relationship, a job change, or a difficult conversation with a family member or friend—and still not feel that confirmation of direction, to truly feel correct discernment of the path to take, or when to detour from the path previously chosen?   The distractions of this world can get in the way in the forms of ambition, money, prestige and popularity, and power, if we don’t tune them out.  And sometimes we are looking for a thunderbolt aha moment versus God’s gentle guidance. 

My husband was presented with a very different career option a few years ago, something pretty risky financially, yet with a potential long term payoff.  We spent so much time talking about it, weighing the pros and cons, praying about it, without feeling a sense of direction from God.  But we also knew that we continued to feel unsettled about the choice.  Ultimately we chose to lean into the fact that we could not feel at peace about the opportunity, even if we could not fully articulate the why, and said no. 

Sometimes you just know what to do in a particular situation and God propels you forward without a lot of reflection.  Sometimes you get into “analysis paralysis” mode and the answer does become clear.  But oftentimes the Holy Spirit lightly nudges and we really have to be attuned to that whisper.   Or, in our case, acknowledge that continued discomfort and struggle is God’s answer.  Yes, a few months of “what ifs” ensued for us post-decision, but in God’s perfect timing, that feeling of  “this just doesn’t feel right” was confirmed.

That’s not to say we all don’t struggle with discernment and sometimes take a path God does not intend.  We may think we are taking the right approach in a challenging situation, moving forward in a godly manner, and it backfires on us.  Yet, God, in His wisdom, is there to get us back on track, if we turn to Him—His grace knows no limit.   God does not want to make it hard on us—His wisdom intends order, purpose, discernment and fulfillment, not confusion and aimlessness. 

How can we stay in tune with God? First and foremost, we must trust and obey.  That means getting up every morning, going to bed every night, and in between, putting your trust in God and God alone.  And seeking to be obedient to God’s commandments, being loving and faithful, welcoming the Lord’s discipline, spending time in prayer and Bible study, serving God through service to others, sharing your faith, and being in fellowship with other believers.  Second, look for the blessings!  My biggest fault at times is not looking for the blessings.  They are right in front of us if we just look!  And don’t keep the blessings to yourself!  

“The better you know God, the keener will be your knowledge and discernment when it comes to the decisions of life.” (Wiersbe, Proverbs, p. 23).  The wisdom of God can be counted on because God only wants our good.  This ingrained part of His character is a constant.  We have to trust Him and His grace to keep us on or bring us back to (because we will stray) the good path.  If In His wisdom He created me, why would I not seek His wisdom to guide my life, and so know Him more deeply?  Can we own Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:17—”I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”