AP

Wisdom is not the same as knowledge.

Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge worked out to achieve your goals.

God certainly knows all things. He has all the data, all the information. But God is also perfectly wise.

In other words, God is not just an encyclopedia of information. God is an artful and successful worker. When God acts, He achieves His goals because He is infinitely wise.

God has plans and purposes for this world and for the people in the world and He knows precisely how to apply His power and His knowledge in order to see those purposes come to pass.

God’s wisdom is displayed in the fact that His methods appear foolish to us but prove time and time again to be successful in achieving His aims.

The virgin birth, the lowly estate of Joseph and Mary, and the betrayal, abandonment, corrupt trial and crucifixion of Jesus – who could come up with salvation achieved like this? Who could not only think up such a design but also execute it with perfect result? Only the “only wise God” (Rom 16:27).

If we want to see the glory of God’s wisdom, the scriptures tell us that we should look at Christ. Paul says “we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 23-24).

This should bring us great comfort and increase our trust in God’s commands.

When our life is not going according to our plan, if we are trusting in Christ, we can be sure that God is working all things for our good (Rom 8:28). God is wiser than you and me and so we can trust that He will bring about our salvation even if He isn’t doing it in a way we would like.

At times God’s commands can seem like they don’t make sense. We can’t see how obeying God will bring about good. God’s wisdom should make us remember that God knows how this world works and has given us His commands in line with His wisdom. God’s way really is best because God is wise.

                                                                                                                                                                  – Tom Eglinton