Wisdom

Sometimes I ask God for wisdom and revelation but I tend to pray that when I have something I don't understand or a special problem in mind that I think I need wisdom for. I kind of memorized Ephesians 1:17 but it is always good to pick up your Bible and read it again in its context. Why do I need wisdom and revelation? Aha - to know Him better!

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better

Eph 1:17

Wisdom is to know God, to seek Him, to love Him. In Proverbs it is talking about fearing the Lord (Prov 9:10), but it is all the same thing. To fear God does not mean we are afraid of Him, but that we are God-fearing people that count on God, rely on Him, believe His word, have a healthy respect for God and His power, not treating Him like He is our little pet that we keep in a box for our benefit and comfort as it suits us. (By the way - God is never kept that way, but we might think we have Him, when it is only our own version of Him, what the Bible calls an idol.)

Wisdom is in Proverbs described as a person, a woman actually, that we can interact with and get to know. She is calling out to everyone to come and eat at her table (Prov 9).

For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Prov 2:10

This does not happen automatically but takes some activity from our part. There are eight steps described in Proverbs 2:

1- accept God's words, humility, willingness to say that He is God, not think that we know best all the time and set ourselves up as judges over His word
2- store up His commandments within us, not just read the word but actively meditate and digest it
3- turn our ears to wisdom, a repenting attitude on our part, we realize our need for wisdom, we are turning to Him
4- applying our hearts to understanding, put all our hearts in it, all our strength, our will, our power, not just halfheartedly, this is the priority for our lives, it is not only about us becoming wise people, it is about knowing God and becoming like Him, finding our destiny and purpose
5- call out for insight, the search intensifies, becoming loud now, public, it is not just a private thing anymore
6- cry aloud for understanding, - I don't care what people think, I am desperate, I am hungry, I got to have it
7- look for it as silver, we really value what God values and prioritize accordingly
8- search for it as a hidden treasure, we are not giving up but keep looking and we realize it is hidden, a mystery, but it is worth spending our lives on.

Pretty intense! That is the kind of attitude we are to go after Him with!

then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

Prov 2:5

and we will delight in the fear of the LORD.

Is 11:3

Peace

As I am reading the Bible in English instead of Swedish certain wordings stick out to me in a new way. This morning as I was reading First John, I found a number of "This is how..." statements and one in particular stuck out to me: This is how (...) we set our hearts at rest in His presence.

The following verse is very well known to me but I somehow had missed the connection between verse 19 and 20.

If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

1 John 3:20

To be at rest in his presence, to really know that there is no condemnation for me when I am in Christ (Rom 8:1), to have peace of mind - it has everything to do with my relationship with the Father. We know that he is not angry, upset or disappointed with us. He sees us, as he sees his Son. Jesus said, as one of the last things he was sharing with his disciples before his death, that he left them with peace as a gift. "My peace I give you" (John 14:27). It is not just peace in general, peace and quiet, a peaceful life, happy circumstances. Actually, he did not promise any of that, quite the opposite, but he promised us the peace of Jesus Christ, that kind of relationship with the Father. Or not just that kind of relationship but we actually enter into their perfect relationship, we are in Christ, included. We have the mind of Christ, the peace of mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

1 John 4:13,16

The peace of God will guard my mind and this happens in our relationship, when I focus on him instead of myself or my circumstances, when I trust him, when I pour out my heart to him in prayer and praise and present my requests to him boldly (Phil 4:6). My restless thoughts can find rest if I direct my thoughts to him instead of worrying. I have to take my thoughts captive and make them obedient to the love of Christ (2 Cor 10:5), knowing at all times that I am loved, unconditionally, limitless, complete, no matter what. And that brings peace. Such peace, or conviction of righteousness, also moves me into action. It makes me focus outwardly rather than questioning my heart, asking if I am okay all the time. This peace is like a pair of shoes of readiness and willingness that equip me and prepare me to move forward, stand upright and kick butt in the spiritual war we are in (Eph 6:15).