When I picture a wise person I see someone who is CONTENT. Life seems simpler and less chaotic. Don’t get me wrong, they have stuff going on, but they seem strong in who God is and who they are. They have what the Bible calls a “fear of the Lord.” I want that all the time! We are going to explore that a little bit more later on.
Sometimes life feels like you are in the eye of a tornado. Everything is swirling around you and you can’t escape except to hang on to something till it passes. But that’s the thing, you must go through it. There are definitely action steps that should be taken, but sometimes you just need to sit for a second and take a deep breath. There are times when you need to grasp onto the only visible and substantial thing that God gave us, his Word. Sometimes you need to read and proclaim to your soul who God is and what he can do. You need to “fear the Lord.” This allows you to experience his wisdom.
Job expresses how amazing God is in these next chapters. We see a deeper contentment in who God is and what he can do in the middle of troubling circumstances.
S – Scripture: Job 24-28
- 24:22-24 – “God, in his power, drags away the rich. They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life. They may be allowed to live in security, but God is always watching them. And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain.”
- 26:7-8 – “God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don’t burst with the weight. “
- 26:14 – “These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”
- 27:2-6 – “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, by the Almighty who has embittered my soul– As long as I live, while I have breath from God, my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies. I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die. I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.”
- 28:12-15 – “But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living. ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean. ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea. It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver.”
- 28:28 – “And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.'”
O – Observation:
- Job questions why the wicked aren’t punished and the poor go on suffering. But he goes on to say that he knows God is watching them and will take care of it.
- Wickedness may look like it is prevailing – but God will always win.
- Bildad speaks: no one is innocent before God.
- Job responds, saying that God is in control of all things and is all-powerful.
- He vows to never speak against God and maintain his innocence.
- He questions what hope the wicked have when everything is stripped away – they do not have God to fall back on.
- Job proclaims that the righteous will have victory over the wicked in the end.
- Wisdom is more valuable than any riches found on earth and can only be found with God (from God).
- Fear of the Lord = Wisdom
- Forsaking evil = Understanding
A – Application:
I needed to search a little more on the subject of true wisdom and understanding. Here is what I found:
“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.” Psalms 111:10
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7
“Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.” Proverbs 2:2-11
“But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out 
everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-13
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:5-8
It’s interesting to me, looking back on the rough times in my life and realizing that all that stood were the words of God. All other wants and needs faded, but the promises of God remained constant. God was consistent in all he said he was and could do. I had to put my trust in him because that was the only thing that were still consistent. His words never changed.
On one particular day, October 9, 2016, I wrote these words that God spoke to me:
I was wrestling through the emotions of my second miscarriage at that point. Work was particularly difficult and I was starting to find that I needed a change. I felt God calling me to start stepping away, but was struggling to give parts of my job up. I needed some form of assurance amidst my wavering heart and head state. These words gave me a mission. They allowed me to see a path to start walking on. It seemed simple enough as well. “Feed on my words.” Seek my wisdom. “Trust in me daily.” God will provide all that I need when I need it. Oh, they were like water to my parched soul.
When life seems like it’s one punch in the face after another, sometimes we need something to grasp on to. If we can feed on the constant and unchanging words of God, we can slowly build the endurance to stand. Somehow we get this supernatural strength and faith to make it through or take steps to change our situation.
God’s wisdom is not a secret. It’s not granted if you are “good enough.” But you do need to believe without a doubt that God is God and he is all you need. He gave us his Spirit to counsel and guide us. And he can whisper in your ear far greater ideas and solutions than you can hope or imagine.
I’m not that smart. I don’t know all the answers. But I serve and believe in a God who does. With that, I can accomplish all that he calls me to do and go through.
What do you need wisdom on today? Have to talked to God about it yet? Have you searched through his Word to see what it says? Take some time to do that today. The answers may not all come at once, but my prayer is that you get some sense of clarity or a boldness to step out in faith.
To fear the Lord, to be in awe of all that he can do, is the beginning of wisdom. Soak in all that God is. Let that sit on your heart for a minute and be overwhelmed by his amazingness. Then, go out and do what he has called you to do. You can do it because you serve a God that has it all.
P – Prayer:
Thank you Lord for all that you are. You are more than I can hope or imagine. You give me all that I need when I need it. Thank you for your unchanging Word that guides me through life. Lord, speak to those who need to hear you today. Give them strength, boldness, wisdom, and grace. Let them know that you are close and guiding their every step. Thank you God. Amen
A Whisper In Winter 