No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. — Ecclesiastes 8:17
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. — Ecclesiastes 9:17
I don’t care how good a Christian you are, you will eventually come face to face with things in life that you cannot understand. Tamara White who runs an inner city ministry for teen "throw aways" told me stories of little children who trusted Jesus as their Savior and were molested the same night. How do you explain that? I cannot. Pat answers like: "We live in a fallen world," or "This is not the Lord’s doing, this is the work of the enemy," just don’t cut it for me. My little heart cannot contain the shrapnel of a world gone mad.
So what makes any of us wise? Is it that we understand these things? No, I don’t think any of us do.
So where does wisdom come from? I think of Jesus. He stood next to the tomb of Lazarus and wept — He wept even though He knew full well He was about to raise him from the dead. I think of Jesus rejoicing because what was important was hidden by the Father from the wise and learned, and revealed instead to little children. And I think of Jesus, trembling in the garden, saying, "… nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done."
By the will of God, we, along with Jesus, weep, rejoice and surrender. This is the stuff of our lives. So wisdom comes, not because we can explain our world, but rather because we have been with Him who understands.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.