September 1 - Introduction to God’s wisdom
Wisdom is one of our Triune God’s many glorious and beautiful attributes. He is the Source of all wisdom revealed and discovered in both creation and Scripture. Our reading of both should drive us to doxology: “O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24). “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33).
Since God is the Source of wisdom, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10a). To become wise, we must know God’s wise design for creation and humanity, then live in line with it. This applies to the Law of Gravity and God’s blueprint for human sexuality, among other things.
In Proverbs, God has given us a wisdom treasury in the form of catchy sayings that capture down-to-earth truths that help us live well. Many of these proverbs contrast the way of Lady Wisdom and the way of Lady Folly in concrete situations.
We will cherry pick a few of these proverbs and chew on them to extract God’s loving, life-giving instruction from them. Along the way, I will often point you to the prayer of Psalm 139:23-24 as the Lord invites us to examine our hearts in response to these proverbs.
Above all, wisdom embraces Christ as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”. He is Lady Wisdom in the flesh. He is our Gateway to the good and wise life laid out in Proverbs.
“What in the world…?” (part 1)
“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” - Psalm 104:24:
Scripture reading: Psalm 104:24-30
God is wise. He is also the Source of wisdom. From the macro to the micro, every corner of His creation reflects His wisdom. We marvel at creation’s magnificent and intricate design. All the pieces fit together. They work together to support life.
One Sunday evening, Psalm 104:24 was our call to worship. I asked the gathered congregation, “What in the world makes you say, ‘Wow, God! You are so wise!’?” Someone pointed out the tilt of earth’s axis, which allows for the rotation of the seasons. Another noted the peculiar behaviour of water in its solid state. Typically, matter is least dense as vapour, more dense as liquid and most dense as a solid. Ice, however, is less dense than water, ensuring that it floats. Thank God it does!
One child exclaimed, “I’m glad we don’t live next to Betelgeuse.” Beetle juice? I had no idea what he was talking about. But he certainly did. “If the sun was the size of an orange, the star Betelgeuse would be the size of a football field. We’d be scorched if we lived next to it!” Indeed, we would.
In these and other ways, worshipers exclaimed, “Wow, God! You are so wise!” It was our corporate prayer of praise in response to Psalm 104:24.
How would you answer that question? May our contemplation of God’s wisdom in creation evoke our praise. May it also inspire confidence that we can trust God’s wise design for human thriving in creation and redemption.
Suggestions for prayer
What in the world makes you say, ‘Wow, God! You are so wise!’? Let your responses be your prayer of praise.
Pastor Richard Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children live in South Holland, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Richard has pastored Covenant Fellowship Church of South Holland (PCA) since 2015, he also works part-time in jail ministry as a chaplain for Chicagoland Prison Outreach. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...
