The Knowledge and Wisdom of God
in This Age
We live in a world where we can find an answer to almost anything in three seconds. We have more information at our fingertips than any generation before us. We can search, ask questions, compare answers and learn about almost any subject instantly. We often think that having access to so much information should make us wiser. But perhaps it has done something else. Perhaps it has made us shallow. We can know a little about a lot and begin to think that we know much.
Three thousand years ago, long before anyone imagined a search engine, the Bible gave us a very different perspective: Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. (Prov. 3:7)
How relevant those words are to our age. Today, becoming an expert can seem as simple as typing a question into a search box or giving a prompt and receiving an answer within seconds. Information comes so quickly that we can easily confuse having an answer with having wisdom.
But knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing. Knowledge can tell us what something is. Wisdom teaches us what to do with what we know. And true wisdom does not begin with information. It begins with God.
The Bible tells us: that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, even Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden. (Col. 2:2-3)
This changes the way we should look at wisdom. Wisdom is not simply something we accumulate. It is found in Christ. The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.
Paul tells us that Christ Himself is the power and the wisdom of God: But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:24)
And again: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Cor. 1:30)
The beginning of wisdom is in recognizing that having information does not mean that we know what is right, or that we are willing to do what is right. Real wisdom is in Christ—we seek Christ, and in gaining Him, we then gain wisdom. The more of Christ we gain—the more we experience Christ and the more He grows within us—the more we experience Him as our wisdom.
This is why Paul prayed that the believers would receive something from God that goes beyond human knowledge: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. (Eph. 1:17)
Notice the purpose of the wisdom and revelation: the knowledge of Him. It is not that wisdom shows us what to do, how to behave, or what to say. Rather, the wisdom that Christ is leads us into a deeper and richer knowledge and experience of God our Father. In such a condition, all the others—what to do, how to behave, and so on—come forth naturally from the indwelling Christ.
Sometimes we come to God asking Him for an answer, but what we really want is confirmation of what we have already decided. We want God to agree with us. But true wisdom may require us to stop, listen, and allow Him to show us where change is needed. This can take time.
We are accustomed to instant answers. We ask a question and expect a response immediately. But God does not always answer us according to our timetable. Sometimes we need to wait. And, when God does not respond as quickly as we would like, it does not mean that He is absent or that He is not faithful. Waiting can be part of learning to trust Him.
MY REFLECTION
When I think about my own walk with the Lord, I realize that knowing more has never been the same as knowing Him more.
There have been times when I wanted an answer from God and wanted it quickly. I wanted to understand what He was doing, where He was leading me, and why certain things were happening. But I have learned that the Lord does not always give me an immediate answer. Sometimes He asks me to wait. Sometimes He asks me to trust Him without understanding everything. And, sometimes the answer I receive is not the answer I was looking for. Instead, He begins to show me something in myself that needs to change.
That is where I see the difference between knowledge and wisdom. I can search for information in seconds, but I cannot search my way into knowing God. Knowing God requires a relationship. It requires time with Him, listening to Him, walking with Him, and being willing to let Him change me.
The older I get in the Lord, the more I realize that I do not want simply to know more things about God. I want to know Him more deeply. I want His wisdom, not simply my understanding. I want to know Christ, and in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I want to be humble enough to say, “Lord, I may not understand this, but I trust You.”
In a world that wants everything immediately, perhaps one of the things the Lord is teaching us is how to wait on Him.Not every question needs an immediate answer. Not every situation needs to be understood today. Sometimes we simply need to come before God, be still, and allow Him to speak when He is ready.
We do not need to become wise in our own eyes. We need to know the One who is wisdom. His wisdom is greater than ours. His timing is better than ours.All true wisdom comes from God. It always has. It always will.
