One of the blessings of being a Christian is that we can come to the Lord and ask Him for wisdom with regards to decisions we need to make, whatever the circumstance or situation we are in. And God has promised to provide that wisdom to us. Ever since the beginning God has given His Word, He has made clear His will to His people. And it is to our benefit that we take heed to them, listen and apply them.
But when we pray for God’s wisdom we need to be reminded of how vast and wide this wisdom of God is. We make the mistake of thinking that God’s wisdom is just like ours. We look at a situation we are in, ask for God’s wisdom, and sometimes expect Him to answer according to how we see fit. Or, God does answer, and His answer does not seem to jive with what is happening. We don’t understand.
I find myself in that situation many times! Yes, there are times when I pray for God’s wisdom, and when He answers I get it, I understand why He worked or answered in a certain way. But there are many times when I pray, seek His wisdom and guidance, and things turn out so different from what I expected, and I don’t understand.
It is no wonder that God reminds us that He does not think like we do; He does not look at things the way we do.
Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the
LORD. (9) As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust
in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in
all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Notice how our minds have a tendency to blur important parts of God’s Word? We see the phrase “trust in the Lord with all your heart”, and we may claim to do it. But did we notice the next line – “and lean not on your own understanding”?
Sometimes, when we pray for God’s wisdom, we tend to seek
it with our own understanding. And so,
when God answers in a different way, we somehow question it.
The LORD brought me (wisdom)
forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; (23) I was appointed
from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. (24) When there were
no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water;
(25) before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given
birth, (26) before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the
world. (27) I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the
horizon on the face of the deep, (28) when he established the clouds above and
fixed securely the fountains of the deep, (29) when he gave the sea its
boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out
the foundations of the earth. (30) Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was
filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, (31)
rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.
Have you ever looked at creation and noticed how exact, how detailed, how perfect it has been created? How are there oceans and land, and why don’t they overlap or cross over one another? How are there underground springs where we get our source of water? How majestic are the mountains, the hills, and how tiny are the particles of dust in the air? How can we look up to the sky and only a see a fraction of the whole universe which He created?
Everything that we see on earth – all are a result of the wisdom of our Craftsman, our Creator. All done with His wisdom. He created the world according to His wisdom, how He thought was just right. Every detail, every aspect – all God’s wisdom.
And this is the wisdom that we pray for when we need
it. Think of it – how, then can He make
a mistake when He works in our life with His wisdom? Truly His ways are not our ways.
We are not supposed to understand God's wisdom, we're supposed to trust Him. The wisdom that our God used in creating the earth, and each one of us, is the same wisdom that He uses in answering our prayers, in moving in our circumstances.
We may not fully understand it. We just have to trust that He is wise.
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart
("Trust His Heart", Babbie Mason)
