Finding True Wisdom

 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price. 

From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? God understands its way, and He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens, to establish a weight for the wind, and apportion the waters by measure. 

When He made a law for the rain, and a path for the thunderbolt, then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 

And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.’”

‭‭(Job‬ ‭28:12-13,15,20,23-28‬)

We have seen a lot happen in the past 1 1/2 years with Covid-19. I don’t plan on getting political here.

Job asked a good question and pondered some points that maybe we also should be. While in this world we won’t always have the answers, we can know One who has them because He has created all things and allows all things to point us to Him. And that’s they key, looking to God for the answers, to gain wisdom that does not come from mere man.

Before I begin I want to share a testimony of God’s amazing goodness. 

I have not posted a blog since March of this year. Before then just minimal posts for about a year. Not sure why, but I thought it was just time to stop. 

Well, perhaps I was wrong. God had other plans. And He worked in exactly the way He knows how for me. The thought came last week to starting the blog up again. Not sure where the thought came from, I put it out of my mind, maybe thinking the Lord would let me know for sure if this was from Him or my imagination. Crickets for about a week.

Then I get a phone call this morning from a friend of ours. My phone was off so I didn’t receive it immediately. Listening to the message he left I was surprised to hear that Tom, you know who you are, wondered if he had missed some blogs. Seems on checking, his gmail account was lost through a technical glitch. He asked if he could add him to my list to receive again. 

Only God could do this! Not only did He reveal an issue for Tom but answered my question. I love how He works. So, hopefully a short blog for starters. (Hah!)

So, we might have been fearful and/or angry this past year regarding issues related to COVID. Again, I will not focus on that. I can tell you that during this time I have begun to trust more in the Lord, which draws one closer also. I listened to several credible online church pastors who all said the same thing: God is in control. Well, shouldn’t this have been something we’d known all along??

He IS in control as He has been and always will be. 

Because He is God. 

He has all the answers and He knows just what it takes to get as many as possible to look to Him, not government or man, to get us through all this. As one ministry leader says repeatedly, Things aren’t falling apart, they are falling into place.

Keep this thought in mind…the Bible says He was, He is and He is to come. This references Jesus. He was, as we know from Old Testament scripture prophesied. He is, as also prophesied and which account was seen by hundreds of witnesses. He’s alive today in the lives of His followers. And He is to come. He will return, as the Bible says, at a day or hour which no man knows. He will come as a thief in the night. And we must be ready today. 

But where can wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?  That place is in the Word of God. Divinely inspired, written, as it were, through the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of about 40 men. Documentation of things, that we might know, that we might not be unaware. Not some newspaper or news media source, no matter how good, but what God’s views are. In order that we be aware, we must enter into that Word. 

Just keep in mind the thought that God is in complete control, He always has been, always is and always will be…Things aren’t falling apart, they’re falling in place. I’m sure there will be more to follow! And…

Revelation‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭- “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”‭‭

But God

2Chronicles 20:6 - “…O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?”

Whatever the situation, one can find a BUT GOD... He is In.Control.Of.All.Things. He is sovereign, having supreme power and authority. Despite what happens in the world and in our personal lives, our God reigns! Look:

The LORD shall reign forever and ever. (Exodus 15:18)

The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, and the LORD sits as King forever. (Psalm 29:10)

BOTH riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (1Chronicles 29:12)

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19)

I was with a friend from church for a couple days on a fun road trip. As with any time with a fellow believer, discussion turned to the things of God. In one instance she said she truly stood strongly on the words, BUT GOD. 

I just want to list a few of them. They are encouraging for whatever the situation. God is in control of all things. I know it's a lot of scripture, but take the time to read them. Maybe they will speak to an area in your life. 

His rightful authority:

But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. (Psalm 115:3)

God as Judge: 

But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. (Psalm 75:7) 

His presence:

And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him... (Acts 7:9)

His strength: 

My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

His love and mercy:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) 

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us… (Ephesians 2:4)

As Creator: 

…but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it… (1Corinthians 12:24)

Our warrior: 

But God will wound the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses. (Psalm 68:21)

God's choice:

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty… (1Corinthians 1:27) 

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. (1Corinthians 12:18)

His way of salvation: 

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (1Corinthians 3:6-7)

His faithfulness:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1Corinthians 10:13) 

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

His power:

The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, and be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. (Isaiah 17:13) 

The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness. (Proverbs 21:12)

My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26) 

But God raised him from the dead… (Acts 13:30)

Scripture doesn’t lie because God can’t lie. All He has written for us through the power of the Holy Spirit in men, is true. Try Him out. Think you’re too guilty of your sins? But God… Think He wouldn’t love you? But God… Think you don’t need Him? But God… is able to transform us into the man or woman HE knows we can be in Him. His plans are for good, not evil. His plans are perfect. His ways not like ours, but a whole lot better.

Our God reigns…forever. We can too if we give Him a chance. 

God Prepares

Psalm 147:5 - Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

Reading the account in Luke the other morning about Zacharias and Elizabeth and how God intervened in their lives to bring forth a son, John (the Baptist), who would in the appropriate time announce Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. (Luke 1)

It reminded me of something I read previously in our study of Revelation and which I've known for a long time: that God is in control and that every day He is working out His plan. We don't see it but He is setting the stage in all of our lives. We might run into someone ever so briefly but they might be there for a reason.

Here's what the study said: What lengthy struggle has God required you to endure? Is He calling you to keep praying, to keep trusting Him with deep emotional wounds, sickness or loneliness? How can you rely on His provision when you do not see resources? Think deeply about the characteristics of God as a source of peace and strength. Know He loves you, and His timing incorporates greater purposes than you can understand. (Bible Study Fellowship, Lesson 12...emphasis is mine!)

Exactly! I've long believed that God works behind the scenes putting circumstances and people in order to bring about His will in everyone's life. We may not always respond the way we should, especially if we do not know this. But if we do know, we can look at circumstances differently. We can know that what we see is just part of His plan and to pretty much go with the flow. We can trust that: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah‬ ‭55:9)‬ ‭Praise God for that! 

Back to Luke 1. Just months before Mary would conceive Jesus, the stage was being set for John to usher Him in years later. All part of His plan. And as we read in Luke 1 we see odd things happening: Zacharias loses his ability to speak, barren Elizabeth conceives. Mary conceives, without knowing a man, at the six-month time of Elizabeth's pregnancy, and my favorite part, when Mary visits Elizabeth: And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke‬ ‭1:41‬) That yet unborn baby John knew the presence of that yet born Savior of the world. Nothing is impossible with God, to coin a scripture!

We won't be told for what purpose things are happening, although God could do that. But we have these past experiences to stand on. God is in control. Our lives are all intertwined somehow. I know you, you know me. Maybe we don't see a connection, but there's a good chance there is. Hmmmm.

It's not always about a struggle, either, although it's when we are waiting (im)patiently or having to endure something that we might wonder why. Just trust in the Lord. Pray about the situation. Let Him know you are, or want to, trust Him for His results.

Proverbs 3:5-7a - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes...  

He Does Because

Romans 11:33-36 - Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

God and His ways can really take us deep into our thoughts. Often we end up at a wall realizing our lack of knowledge on those things only He knows about. We can ask why would He do this or that and come away with our own unsatisfactory answers, none at all or coming to the conclusion that it's just because.

I had been messaging with a friend on the meaning of God's will. Out of it all, I have to admit my finite mind has to back off and believe one thing: because God can. Because He is sovereign...and He is. He does not cause or will evil, He allows it. But when He does, it is still for a purpose only He is privy to...because He is God...and He wants us to realize that.

He knew sin would enter into the world, yet He created it. Why? To show His glory. To show His nature, power and attributes, His goodness and judgment. To show what happens when you choose evil over good. We need to see both in order to make a choice. We all have choices to make and there will be consequences for them...good or bad.

When all is said and done the answer is, just because. Because He is Creator God. Because He is in control. Because He is sovereign. Because.

I'll tell you, when I get myself to a place where I don't have an answer...and it's okay not to have an answer; it's okay to say I don't know and defer to just trusting God...my thoughts eventually run backward to the beginning where everything began. God, our Alpha, First, Creator. It all started with Him. His infinite wisdom, glory, judgment, plan, creation. He has done all things for His own glory. And that's all we need to know. We need to honor that too. We need to allow Him to be that glory. We cannot negate it.

He does...because!

Some of the points my friend stated she believed I know are not true. She does not believe God knows all things because why would He create at all knowing evil would exist. To show His glory... And why would He create Adam and Eve knowing they would bring sin into the world? To show His glory... And why does God allow death of innocent children? To show His glory...because He is sovereign. A verse from Psalm 139 tells us He is in control and sovereign: Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. They say we are His perfect creation and He knows the beginning from the end of each of our lives. Because of sin in the world, we die. Even this glorifies God, through His sovereign power.

I also know that we must see both sides of God. Just like we must see our sin in order to realize we have a God who loves us enough to allow evil, as it were, into our lives to appreciate how God can also take us out of that evil...through Jesus. We must see His judgment side, or the side we would just as soon not see or hear about, in order to realize His other side, the goodness and righteousness He is. I hope this makes sense. God reveals Himself in both the good and the judgmental. This all shows His glory. How? To show our need for Him in difficult times. To show He is sovereign. To draw us closer to Him, to see how we will react in difficult times, to see whether we are trusting Him.

In some churches only the good side is discussed. And maybe that's why it's hard for some to understand why bad things happen to good people, in particular children. Maybe they have learned only that God is love. I'm not saying that God is judging a small child in their death but that He allows it to happen. It is all part of this fallen world we are in.

So why would He create at all if He knew evil would exist? That question is a tough one. The only answer I can come up with, again, is to show His glory, though it may not seem like enough of an answer. Because He can, He is God. Because He wants His glory to be seen. We need to see His glory in order to believe in Him, although some never do. It's His plan for us, since we have been created by Him, to know Him, believe in Him, trust, follow and obey Him for our eternal life...

And what it boils down to is just believing and trusting Him in all circumstances. Plain and simple. That may just be the hardest thing man can do. Man wants to fix something, find a solution, come up with an answer. And some might even try to do this with God, find a solution about Him that man can understand. God wants us to just trust in Him, let His glory be revealed. Man wants his own glory. He wants his answers to always be the right answers. But we have to admit we don't have all the answers. We have to settle for the answer of just because.

Oh, the questions I will have for Him someday!! Others probably will too. However, the frustration can be quelled by knowing Jesus, following after Him, hearing Him speak through His Word, obeying Him and trusting in Him. That's what all of life is about. It's not all about us.

Job 11:7-9 - Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.

God...We Have a Problem!

Deuteronomy 10:17 - For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome...

This has been quite the week. While some of us, as our pastor said this morning, are not happy with the election results, there are some who are. It has been a week of reflection, introspection and prediction. I have been part of discussions on election results, the future of this country, who I am in Christ, the 10 Commandments, even the subject of Christian vs. disciple and where I fit in God's grand scheme, His will, for such a time as this.

It's important, first of all, to know what Deuteronomy 10:17 says...our God IS the God of gods and the Lord of lords...in all areas of life...from the smallest thing in my life to the biggest thing in this country or world...and universe. Everything begins and ends with God, something everyone needs to understand. And it's just as important to realize that if we are followers of Christ, we are disciples and it is our duty to help others understand the things of God, not that everyone wants to hear it!

It is up to us to speak the Word just the same, to show the relevance of knowing this great and glorious God. It is clearly the decision of hearers/readers whether they want to trust in the Lord or trust in man...or trust even in themselves. I just know Who I place my trust in because He knows the beginning from the end, He is the Life, the Truth and the Way. I count my time on earth as a stepping stone to a bigger and better life.

I blogged earlier how I felt even before I learned the election results. How the words came to me that no matter how it turned out, no matter who would be the leader of our country, it was God's plan and He is still in control. Hey, to be blunt, He can use anyone to cause His will to be done. ANYONE. We don't know what His plans are but they are for good and they will, in time, glorify Him. Those who put their faith and trust in Him, know this. We live by faith, not by sight...a lesson God may be trying to convey through this past election. Praise Him!

Today our Pastor, Rory Grooters, spoke on OK, Who is Your God Now? For those whose prayers were not answered regarding the election, do we put our trust in man, government, ourselves or do we put even more trust in our God, as we should? There are many who believe we got what we as a nation deserved in this election. And I don't mean that is a good way! God may be judging this nation...because we have turned our backs on Him. Of course many will laugh at this, but the truth is we have allowed society to dictate the needs of the people...no, the wants of the people.

We want instant abortion, alternative lifestyles, government handouts instead of work; we want whatever we want, the way we want it and we want it now. We want to go against what the Word of God says is proper living. Who cares anymore? It's an ancient book; it's outdated; it's so against what society wants. WANTS. What does God say? (There are those)...whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. (Philippians 3:19)

What does God want? Pastor Rory said He wants us to hunger for holiness and God (which is foolishness to many). When we have that all else will be given to us, the Word tells us (Luke 12:31). He wants us. He wants us to be holy because He is holy. He created us in His image. In His image! Does our image reflect that of God? He wants that none should perish but have everlasting life. But some want to feed their selfish desires in the world where moth and rust destroy over the things of God which will not perish. Oh, let me tell you, I believed that lie once myself. But the freedom that comes when the truth is made known. The truth will set anyone free. But there is still much I need to be free of myself...

Pastor said we either want real power (that comes from God) or impotence (which comes from man, or a king...leader). I'll take the all knowing, all powerful, ever present God, thank you. He has lasted a lifetime. How many leaders, kings or presidents have? He stands the test of time. The Ancient of Days. As pastor said: When dependency on government replaces God, we have a problem. Our problems are bigger than what government can do. We must look higher.

Where is your strength? Is your identity in who you think you have made yourself to be (when actually God gave you your abilities and strengths that you might glorify Him). Where do you place your trust? Can you honestly say government has taken care of all your needs/desires? Where will you go for help when things really get rough? When illness strikes, or you lose someone? Who is your hope? Can you say our government will be the answer?

My strength is in the Lord. My hope is in the Lord. The Lord is my refuge, my strong tower...all who run into it are saved. The Lord is the Rock of my salvation. It is He, my God, in whom I place my trust. I will look up beyond the seat of our government and straight up into the throne room of God for my needs. Will you?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 - And now, ... what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?