Wednesday's Big Idea: Wisdom (and Unity)

We kicked off prayer today in that realm of inside-out unity, the heart of which is worship. Key verses were Matthew 6:9 ("...Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name."), Psalm 133 ("Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity...") and Malachi 4:6 ("He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.")

A clear sub-theme is coming out, though, as we pray for various people in the group: Wisdom. Many of us have big decisions to make, life-affecting choices or don't know what's coming, but need clear-mindedness. Proverbs tells us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." And I am heartened that we are learning that lesson. All choices must be put in front of the Lord and our job is walk in faith and obedience as much as we are humanly (and supernaturally) able.

I don't know how God grants wisdom - the mechanism, I mean. I think it somehow becomes part of us and we don't even realize it. It's not as if we can study and become wise; although information can inform our choices. I think it is more a discipline that is made up of patience, humility, listening and discerning.

Since it is hard to pin down what wisdom is, perhaps we can ask what the measure of wisdom is. A person is wise if...(fill in the blank). Working backwards we can say "I will know this is a wise decision if x happens". Perhaps it is less tangible than that, but we know it is something God gives (James 1) as one of His good and perfect gifts.

If we have it, shouldn't we know? I think we do know, but sometimes what we are looking for isn't so much wisdom as a signal flare pointing a direction. I don't think wisdom is knowing what the outcome of some choice will be, but rather the process we use to make that choice. We may not know where choice x will lead, but we can know that we sought God in prayer, thought through the consequences and possible even had a plan b in case choice x fails. I am again reminded that our life is about who God wants us to BE and not about what he wants us to DO. As my friend's wife wrote once: we are human beings, not human doings. Doing comes out of being - not the other way around.