Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord , and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:7
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that God is wise. That means God has good judgement, He makes good choices. He knows best. When we are looking at a choice in life, we want to choose the wisest option. That doesn’t necessarily equate to the easiest or the post painless, or the fastest. The wise game is the long game. What is best in the long run?
We pray for God’s wisdom in choosing a spouse, choosing a job, choosing a car, or a house. We pray that God would guide us through our lives in the most beneficial fashion (and hopefully the most painless.)
So, when we pray so often for God’s wisdom, why do we so often think that He has withheld the wisest option from us?
As far as I can see it, I would have been far better off with job B instead of job A that I landed.
I really want to be married right now, and I know that it’s the best thing for me, so why haven’t I found the right partner yet?
I’m really tired of this small apartment, I wish circumstances would hurry up and fall into place so that I can buy that house I really want.
Does that sound familiar? Because it does to me. You are exactly where God has placed you.
I’ve often spat in the face of God’s wisdom and His good promises to those who are called according to his purpose. We are so selfish and sinful, and we so often think along the lines of Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
ESV
While altogether forgetting about Romans 8:29-30
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
ESV
We know, through God’s word, that He works all things according to His purpose for our good. That means pain. That means getting there the way that God wants us to, the way that He has decreed from before the foundations of the Earth. That means the way that we would be most confirmed to the image of His son.
That means being content.
Being content in our singleness, and praising God for it.
Being content in our pain, and praising God for it.
Being content in our discomfort, content in the job we don’t like, content with the ups and downs of life that God in His ultimate wisdom ordained for our good. That doesn’t mean we have to stay exactly where we’re at, but it means that while we’re there, we praise the God who put us there.
And not only trusting in the decree of God, but knowing and trusting in the word of God. You can’t align yourself with God’s prescribed will unless you know it. He has given us such wonderful boundaries for what His wisdom entails, it’s our responsibility to know those boundaries and do our best to stay within them.
I hope that some of my exhortations aren’t needed. I hope that you’re content in the place that God has put you, and that you’re doing your best to know and apply God’s word to your life. I know, though, that if I’m honest, I still have so much room for improvement even on my best days. So hopefully you take some of these words to heart and rest in the wisdom of the God who knows better than we do.