If you’re facing a hard time that you don’t quite know how to process; if you’re facing a decision that you don’t quite know how to make; if you’re facing a complicated relationship and you don’t quite know how to navigate it; what you need is wisdom. What you need to see is that, in all these things, God is lovingly wise in all his dealings with you and the ones you love. God’s wisdom means that God always chooses the best outcomes and the best means to those outcomes. To understand God’s wisdom, you must first know that God is all-knowing (omniscient). He knows the beginning and the end of all things. He knows everything in between and beyond the end of all things as we know them. He sees and knows all things at once. He never learns or forgets anything.

READ Job 28:1-28

Job speaks the profound truth here. He affirms that God alone is wise, so Job knows that wisdom and understanding can only be found in God alone. But at the same time, because he can’t make sense of all the tragedy God has allowed to come into his life and into the life of his family. He believes he doesn’t deserve all the terrible things that have wrecked his life. So, he questions God’s wisdom. Job affirms God’s wisdom, but at the same time, he questions God’s wisdom. He affirms God’s wisdom but thinks and speaks as if he is wiser than God. This whole book (pretty much) is about Job ranting and raving about how he doesn’t deserve what’s happened to him.

A lot of our prayers are us questioning God’s wisdom—telling him what he really needs to be doing—what he needs to be fixing—as if he needs to be informed. There are an awful lot of Christians who don’t really trust God’s wisdom. What they are really saying is that they know better than God how life ought to go. That’s why you’re so anxious. That’s why you’re so worried. That’s why you’re praying so furiously and frantically. That’s why you’re telling God what to do. You’re not really trusting God’s wisdom. 

Where does wisdom come from? 

• You have to accept the fact that God, the Scriptures, and life in this broken world are complex. 
• You can only find wisdom in God (Job 28:13, 21-24)—in understanding creation, fall, and redemption.
• You grow wise by resting in God’s wisdom.

On the Cross, Jesus shows us what it means to “be still and know that God is God.” The fear of the Lord, the reverential awe of God, especially as you look at Jesus, will make you truly wise.