Living with Wisdom.

Its cold and dark outside as I look across towards the Cape Flats and see the myriad of lights twinkling. It reminds me of the many people out there, A lot of them crowded into small spaces and I wonder how they find the time and space to spend alone with our loving Father. I once again appreciate the warm corner that I have to spend alone with Jesus, God’s word in so many translations, all sorts of. other helps. I feel so spoiled and yet blessed. I remember Mark Brooke-Smith from the early eighties going to spend a year living with a coloured family in Worcester. The fellowship and joy was palpable. Sitting around a fire on a Saturday evening with one piece of meat for the whole family, could not dampen the joy as one plucked a guitar so they could sing. Yet one thing he missed sorely – there was no place for him to spend alone with his bible and the Lord.

Its been a restless night, with several interruptions so my mind is all over the place. Slowly I get the message through to it “Be still and know that I am God”.

In the warm quiet comes the word “Come unto me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Learn from me…..” Wait a bit, how am I going to learn from Him? I must open my ears and listen. Take my yoke….it is easy (ie it fits perfectly) and light. God does not expect me to do anything that He does not equip me for.

“But Lord I feel so weak and inadequate and confused. “When you are weak, I can show my strength through you. The wisdom of this world is foolishness, acquire and listen to my wisdom”

“But the concern the nurses expressed yesterday?”

“To remind you to trust Me in this complex situation”

And I remember my resolve to fix my eyes on Jesus and get out of the boat so that I can walk on the water of trust. I have been taking my eyes of Jesus and looking at the turbulent water and it is in danger of swallowing me up……………….and so … there was more

Proverbs 8:12-36 Speak to me through your Word Lord….

“I love those who love me and those who seek me find me vs 17

My fruit is better than fine gold vs 19 …… This fruit is produced aro of my relationship with Wisdom (Jesus) and through His love. It is a demonstration of His working through me..

Then from vs 22 the revelation (parallel to psalm 139) of God’s plan which He set up from eternity, from the beginning vv 23 ff Vs 27 I was there when He set the heavens in place. My mind is once again blown as I realize the enormity of His plan and the amazing fact that I am part of that plan (and so too each one of you)

Now from vs 32 There is that word again Listen!

What is the state of the one who listens vs 34?

What happens to the one who finds Wisdom? vs 35.

Joshua 1:1-9: “Be strong and courageous Joshua”. How should he gather strength and maintain it? …1:8?

Psalm 1: The book of Psalms opens with the word “blessed is the man…. ….Which describes a great theme of the book but in this short psalm, how is this man to order his life so that he can be blessed? vs 2?

So friends the long psalm 119 which mentions the law of God in almost every verse expands on this vs 2 of psalm 1. It struck me so forcibly that God’s word is really our access to Him and His personal voice to us. Meditating is chewing over what you read so that you can pass through the words on paper to meet with the Author Himself. He wants to personalize that Word for you. Under the new covenant we have the Holy Spirit who is speaking to us through the Word. But you will only hear Him if you “listen”

Mervyn Eloff often used to start his prayers in church with “Lord you are in heaven and we are on earth, so let our words be few”. Have you ever experienced how pleasant it is to spend time with someone who would rather listen to you blab about yourself than blab about themselves.

So to really come to grips with God’s word we need to meditate on it, chew it, memorize it and listen to the Author when He speaks and applies it to you.