We’ve been talking about having confidence and comfort in the Lord, in His presence, peace, protection and mercy. As I was meditating on this, I was struck that first we have to have a confidence in His wisdom. “By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.” (Prov. 3:19-20) The Lord created all things. “For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36)

Wisdom begins with knowing God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov. 9:10) He gives insight into living because He created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about Him, but to stand in awe of Him and have a relationship with Him. When we have a daily relationship with Him, He gladly bestows His wisdom upon us. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

In Proverbs 3 we see godly wisdom described for us, which tells us how to live and the benefits of doing so: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Prov. 3:3-8)

God has good, pleasing and perfect plans for His children. He wants us to be a transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey Him. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom. 12:1-2) Because He wants only what is best for us, and because He gave His Son to make our new lives possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for His service. He wants us to daily lay aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us.

Many believers want an abundance of God’s grace and peace, but are unwilling to put forth the effort to get to know Him through Bible study and prayer. But there’s no short cut. If you haven’t been bearing fruit from godly wisdom, you need to plant the seeds of His Word in your hearts. Intimacy comes through knowing WHO God is. The Lord reveals Himself through Jesus and the Word. “To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (1 Peter 1:1-3) This is the way He designed this relationship to function; you can’t short change it in some other way.

Rather than listening to others for guidance, we must to look to the Lord to give us His wisdom to live in a way that pleases Him. “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim. 4:7-8) We learn to be godly by knowing God’s Word and applying it to our lives. So in the words of “We Believe” by Newsboys, “So let our faith be more than anthems, greater than the songs we sing. And in our weakness and temptations, we believe.” 

And because we know Him, and acknowledge Him for who He is and what He has done, we are to worship Him with thankful hearts. “I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” (Ps. 9:1-2) But thanking Him isn’t just performed in singing on Sundays, true and proper worship is how we live our lives; it is giving Him all that we have and all that we are–warts and all–and trusting in His wisdom to be able to use us for His glory. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33a)