By: Arnie Cole, Pamela Ovwigho, and Michael Ross
With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding
Faith Quest
Read Job 12:1–25
Where do you seek wisdom?
Faith Trek
A few years ago, scientist Dr. Martin Hilbert at the University of South Carolina calculated how much information the average person encounters in a day. He found that with the Internet, television, radio, and other sources, we are exposed each day to information equivalent to the amount found in 174 newspapers.
We are indeed in the information age. Just a hundred years ago, most people read fewer than fifty books in their entire lifetime. Most of us receive the informational equivalent of that in a day. Yet information doesn’t always equal wisdom and some things remain unknowable.
The secret of wisdom is Job’s primary concern in this chapter. First, he chastised his friends for their words, pointing out that they had not said anything he did not already know or that really addressed his question.
He then acknowledged that true wisdom and understanding come only from God. It is only the Lord who can see the full picture and know where everyone and everything fits in His plan.
Understanding that only God had the answers for his questions could actually be freeing for Job. He knew it was futile to worry at the questions in his own mind, turning them over and over like a Rubik’s cube, trying to find the answers within himself. He knew it was pointless to seek human advice from his friends, elders, or rulers.
When I (Pam) think about my own life, I see God’s wisdom in His not answering my questions, or at least not immediately. One time when someone close to me died very suddenly, I did cry out and ask Him why. It didn’t make sense to my human mind, and I knew only God could provide the answer. Yet he remained silent except for the comforting word that it would all make sense one day.
Many years and events later it did, and I now understand more about how that painful loss fit into God’s plan and purpose. I also see that in His wisdom He did not give me that understanding before I was ready. Had I received the answer immediately, I’m sure I would have tried to argue and bargain that there was another way. In the midst of my pain, I would have argued regardless of the specific response.
The answer did not come until I had healed and matured enough to accept it. Now with the perspective that’s only possible with the passage of time, I can see my Father’s wisdom and care of me in my pain. Through trusting that He had an answer to my question, even if I didn’t know what the answer was, my faith and relationship with Him grew tremendously.
Faith Tools
• Understanding that God is all wise frees us to seek the answers to our questions from only Him.
• Trusting God’s wisdom in the midst of our pain helps us to heal and grow.
• PRAY: “Heavenly Father, I know that Your thoughts are not my thoughts and Your ways are not my ways. Help me to seek wisdom only from You.” Spend some time reflecting on your life. Think about those times when God’s purpose and wisdom far surpassed your own.
Notes for Growth
A Key Point I Learned Today:
How I Want to Grow:
My Prayer List:
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