God's Wisdom Highest

Thinking about my ideas and God’s plans, the two stand in contrast in terms of goals, in more ways right now than I’ve really ever experienced.

That’s not to say my life has been trial-free in the past. And that’s certainly not to say I live a hard life.  I’m blessed.

Still, having plans change about weekend trips and home improvement projects fall into a different category than what I have been experiencing. Feeling God funnel me into the unknown specifics of what He wants through removing four major things; career change options, a favored sport, loved outreach methods, and specific lifelong hearth and home goals, at least seems like a different matter. Fitting through His funnel comes with some discomfort, and sacrifice.

But God’s smartest, His goals and motives are perfect, and — phew — He’s patient.

I’m glad His Spirit works within me, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t force, cajole or persuade myself to match everything I think, want and do up to His standards. That reminds me how high caliber His gift of grace is.

When I talk with my kids, I often need to help them see a situation from an adult perspective, whether the topic covers why even good church kids act like brats sometimes or prioritizing how to spend money when back-to-school shopping. But it’s my job to teach my daughters and son. It’s one way I prove my love for them. And it brings me joy.

When I think about it, the difference in wisdom between an adult and a child is far less than the difference between a follower of Christ and God. My children are much closer to being as wise as I am, than I am likely to be as wise as God. That’s why I worship Him. Everything about Him exceeds everything about me. I’m willing to let God be God — at least I want to be willing.

Wisdom Math

Take a look at this little basic subtraction illustration or example of what I mean.

Parent Wisdom – Child Wisdom = Human Maturity Wisdom Difference

God Wisdom – Follower of Christ Wisdom = Supernatural Wisdom vs. Created Human Wisdom Difference

Supernatural vs. Created Human Wisdom Difference > Human Maturity Wisdom Difference

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
   will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
   will clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:8-12

What a joy and comfort to me that God’s ways and thoughts are higher. And that His word accomplishes the plan He set in motion. I love verse 11, because we have access to that word. The Word of the Bible, the Word who came in human form, Jesus Christ.  So, I can learn. And so can you.

To those who aren’t Christians, those of us who are don’t necessarily make sense. The Bible doesn’t make sense. God doesn’t make sense. Shoot, I often don’t know what God is up to when He’s working in and around me until (if) I am given hindsight, so how could I expect someone who doesn’t have a relationship with Him to get it?

Without God, humans label many types of worldly thinking as wise or logical. But whether we acknowledge Him or not, we can’t exceed our Creator.

²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Certainly, I may continue to struggle to determine what the difference is between His plans and mine. Perhaps temptation and the devil are working to damage my testimony and me. But I need to bear responsibility for my own attitudes, and priorities.

But, I know I delight in Him, so my desires are safe with Him. (See Psalm 37:4) As I continue to relax into whatever God’s plan is for me, to understand and step onto the solid places where He wants me to step, I believe I will see the Word of God, the love of God, unfold in a new and real way.

⁹ However, as it is written:

   “What no eye has seen,
   what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”^[a]—
   the things God has prepared for those who love him—

 ¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

   The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.^{[b] 14} The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. ¹⁵ The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, ¹⁶ for,

   “Who has known the mind of the Lord
   so as to instruct him?”^[c]

   But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:9-18

Because I have the mind of Christ, I know that even if I don’t achieve the goals I set, if I go where He leads, my life will testify to Him. My human side would prefer to accomplish what I intended, with God’s help, and glorify Him in that way.

But by His gentle hand, I pray to and know I will experience His peace and joy either way, shine out His light and bring Him, my Creator, great pleasure.

Bible passages copied from biblegateway.com

Photo and copy, Copyright © 2011 Helene Bergren All rights reserved.