Out of Trouble and Seeking God's Knowledge

“The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.” Proverbs 11:8

What does this Proverb speak to you heart today? I’m asking because I really want to know! You see, when I read this Proverb during lunch today it reminded and promised me that trouble has a time limit. When God is finished working out some of the wickedness in my heart and life then there is no need for this specific trouble to continue. And then, some poor soul falls into the trouble that I just left.

Is the above a correct interpretation or am I thinking like one of Job’s ‘friends’? I ask my friends because I need counsel, I desire not to be a fool. As Proverbs 12:15 states, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” I’m a person who desires to seek out knowledge. Not just any old knowledge but a righteous knowledge. Not a religious knowledge because that knowledge will only “puff up” 1 Corinthians 8:1; I’ve learned that I need something much more, a Christ-like knowledge.

So, I seek a heavenly knowledge because I desire to understand so that I might acquire wisdom. “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.” Proverbs 15:14 Maybe I’m right or maybe I’m wrong but from that passage I understand that I must discern what ‘I’m feeding on’. That is, not everything that this world presents to me on the television, on radio, or in the newspaper is really worth watching, hearing, or considering. What really seems worthwhile is to daily intake God’s Word. What do you think?

Walking around Jericho

"And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days." Joshua 6:2-3

I'm sure that Commander Joshua was ready to take on Jericho. I'm sure that the 'mighty men of valour' were well trained, prepared, and ready. Yet, God had different plans than Joshua and the army of Israel.

God loves glory and He will not share His glory with anyone. The Lord did not want His young nation to "trust in chariots... or in horses... but... remember the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7).

Our Savior desires to fight our battles for us. To do that we have to get out of the way. We do this through obeying him and trusting him. And obeying him sometimes leads us to do the improbable, such as walking around Jericho.

Asking God for Wisdom

“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” James 1:5-6

Whenever I’ve had the courage to ask God for wisdom, he’s always responded with help in time of need. My experience is that God is like that. He’s never shown me the future but when the future occurs he’s always been there for me. I’m sure that you can say the same thing.

Too often, at least for me, it becomes necessary that I get myself in a jam, before I really call on God for wisdom. Usually, I say or do the wrong thing at the wrong moment and I find myself in the middle of a crisis. When will I ever learn? Yet, in the midst of such times, God, in his Fatherly way, teaches, scolds, and sets me right again.

True, my pride gets burned and I’ll humble myself and apologize as best I can but always afterwards, I’m thankful and more cautious.

I’m thankful for the wondrous grace given me, the unthinkable mercy of others, and usually a start or the growth of a relationship. I’m more cautious to watch the ‘fleshly’ side of myself, the tender side of others, and the need for God’s Word planted deep within me, his wisdom ever more apart of who he’s created.

God will give you wisdom, he will help, when you believe in him and simply ask.

A Need for God

As far as I know, I am the most unrighteous man, that I know. I say this because I'm the only one on earth who truly knows my heart. You, or my neighbor, or my friends, or even my loved ones cannot truly know the depths of another's heart.

So, I see my need. I see the blemishes that are unlike the character of God. I see a glimmer of his righteousness, goodness, mercy, and kindness and when compared to my own character, highlights my own need, recognizes my own need. A need that surpasses the riches of this world, the glamour of fame, or the love of dear ones. A need that rises from the soul, softens the heart, and awakens the mind to the need for God.

And when recognition arises, rising with it is a heart weighted down with the cares of this world, the burden of ones own faults, and the continual fall from righteousness. In recognition - it is good to see one's own need.

Seeing one's need is a blessing worth more than all the gold, all the pleasure, and all the glory of this present life. Knowing your need breaks your heart, shatters your pride, and causes you to look beyond yourself and beyond this world for answers and for help.
God loves it when we see our need. God loves it when we realize our need for salvation, our need for strength, and our need for his peace. This honors him more than giving, more than songs of praise, and more than our presumed righteous living.

So, who is the most unrighteous person you know... and does that person have a need for God?

In the beginning God created

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Ever wonder how everything started? This passage gives the answer. Through a belief or disbelief of these words a person’s world view is defined. Also defined is a person’s future.

Contentment, peace, and tranquility rests with a firm belief in the sovereign of God.

Restlessness, anger, and sorrow exists when God is rejected.

In the day that we live in some believe that God created… while the majority believe in something else.

Blessed are these who read, who see, and believe!