“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” – 1 Corinthians 1:25
“We’re all nothing without Him.”
…I woke up and walked into the dining room with that thought in my head.
“God, will You give me wisdom? I so desperately need You.”
Then I opened my bible up, and it happened to be on the last page of the book of Hosea, my eyes instantly zeroed in on this:
“Who is wise?
Let him understand these things.
Who is prudent?
Let him know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right;
The righteous walk in them,
But transgressors stumble in them.” – Hosea 14:9
So…. I said, “Lord, what are You showing me here?”
And so, I dug into the interesting book of Hosea this morning. I jumped from the end, to the beginning, to the summary, then skimming through the chapters, and then back to the end, where I began.
What an interesting and seemingly “unwise” story, on the earthly, surface level.
A man who married an unfaithful prostitute, and then wrote about this picture of his life in this “parallel” of God and His unfaithful, and beloved Israel.
God used this man in a way that is hard to understand if we only look at his life. His actions seem unwise, but God was wanting to use Hosea to “say something,” to reveal a truth. He was using Hosea’s life in the bigger picture.
Hosea did not live an ideal life, according to earthly standards, he suffered much to be able to live out this role, to play this part so that God could make a point that would form a much broader picture than just this man and his own life.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.” – Isaiah 55:8
In this life journey of growing in relationship with the Lord, it’s like we begin to learn more and more about His character and His ways. We’re able to recognize Him, we’re able to see that it’s Him…but then we come to the place of being unable to understand a particular circumstance…a situation. We’re reminded that we cannot fully understand His ways… that His ways are higher than our ways.
He sees the full picture, He knows the full storyline. He understands it all.
But if we ask for His wisdom, and the Word says that we should ask Him for it…
“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
But what if this wisdom that comes from the Lord only leads us into these kinds of things that seem “unwise” according to what we know and understand here on earth?
“Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.” – 1 Corinthians 3:18
“Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,
and humility comes before honor.” – Proverbs 15:33
Many times it seems as though God does things/ works things in a way that makes no sense — “God, what are You doing?? What am I doing?” …but when He allows us to see a bigger picture with His wisdom and His understanding… we can begin to see that His way is truly mind blowing, and overwhelmingly incredible– He confounds the “wise”…
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” – Proverbs 9:10
He is reminding me that I am not always going to get to “understand”… but that He wants me to learn to trust, and listen, and obey.
This is His way. The ways of the Lord are right.
Oh God, help me. Help me to be willing and ready to trust You above anything else — above anything else “I think I know.” To trust and obey, even when I don’t understand.
“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9
-Heather ?