All things are possible with God, but He does not do all things that are possible. But He does do all things according to wisdom.
I got into a discussion with someone who has plans for a ministry that is completely out of the realm of reality. I think very few Christians would disagree with me on this. There’s absolutely no wisdom in those plans. The point I want to make is that the person I had the discussion with, made the statement that “all things are possible with God, and if it’s His will, then it will come to pass.” While I can’t argue with that statement, it’s also true that God’s plans are never contrary to wisdom — wisdom that He Himself employs, and wisdom that He gives to us when He guides. So my reply was basically that we don’t just throw all wisdom out the window. When God leads, He does so in the context of sound wisdom. When seeking God’s wisdom, we must seek His wisdom.
As Christians we’re to walk in wisdom. God Himself does all things according to wisdom. Thus when seeking God’s will, we’re to follow His example and do likewise. God places a high premium on wisdom. One of the things He honors most is wisdom. Proverbs makes that really clear. Every Christian should read the first four chapters of Proverbs regularly, as God reveals the value He places on wisdom in those chapters. God’s wisdom should be pursued with a passion. We should seek to make every decision according to His wisdom. We should seek to do all things in life according to the sound wisdom that comes from Him. To walk wisely means to be discerning, to judge properly.
Many Christians place an emphasis on the inner voice of God. They make their decisions and order their lives according to what they believe they’re hearing from God. God does speak to our hearts, but the voices we hear must have a filter in order to guard against voices that aren’t His. God has given us two primary filters, the Bible and wisdom. God will never lead us to do anything that is not in harmony with those two things. We make a lot of very foolish and senseless mistakes by assuming that the voice we’re hearing is the voice of God. When God speaks, it’s with the voice of wisdom. Indeed, God’s voice is the voice of wisdom. The two cannot be separated.
If we think we’re hearing from God, but the idea is far-fetched and there’s a serious lack of wisdom in it, then we can be sure we’re not hearing from God. This is especially true when most other Christians we know are in agreement about it. God’s will for our lives is always sensible and reasonable, characterized by sound wisdom.
It’s important to note that we also have a tendency to allow our feelings or fear dictate our decisions. We should never allow how we feel about something to make our decisions for us. In every situation, with every decision we make, in everything we do, we have to step back and look at things objectively. That is, we must set aside how we feel about something, and do our best to see the wisdom in it, or the lack thereof. Many terrible decisions are made based on feelings or on fear. We must learn to set aside our feelings and fears and make all decisions based on sound wisdom. Our feelings and fears are often at odds with wisdom, and so we need to be fully aware of that in every situation as we go through life.
Yes, all things are possible with God, but God does not do all things that are possible. God does all things according to His glorious attributes, and one of those attributes is wisdom. He is all-wise. He does nothing haphazardly or without purpose. There’s an order to everything He does. He works the same way in our lives as we seek His will. Therefore, just because something is possible, doesn’t mean God will do it. We’re to govern our lives the same way God Himself governs, and that is according to wisdom. We get into serious trouble when we rely on inner voices at the expense of wisdom. Knowing the will of God is not so difficult when we seek His will in the realm of wisdom. Wisdom is reliable, but the voices we hear are not. God’s voice will never be in the absence of wisdom.
Every day we should pray for wisdom. Every day we should pray that God would enable us to think clearly and sensibly, to see things through the eyes of wisdom. The path we take in life, and all the decisions we make along that path, is to be according to the wisdom He provides.
Learning to identify wisdom is a learning process, just like the Christian life overall is a learning process. The Bible is full of examples of what wisdom looks like, and that is where we begin. The book of Proverbs itself is a book devoted to wisdom, and should be read by Christians regularly. However, there are many decisions we must make in life that are not specifically spelled out in God’s Word, so we must pray that God will reveal His wisdom to us. We must evaluate everything we do and every option at hand, to make sure that everything lines up with sound wisdom.
God’s will is always to be found in wisdom. There’s no such thing as God’s will apart from wisdom. It’s tragic when Christians go through life making decisions according to the inner voices they hear, or based on how they feel, believing that they’re hearing from God, when so often they aren’t. The results of living like that can produce years of foolish decisions and wrong paths and a wasted life. If only Christians would learn the importance of living according to sound wisdom, so much grief and regret could be avoided.
If we believe God is speaking to our hearts about a path we’re to take in life, or even in the daily decisions of life, wisdom must be the filter we use to test those voices. Wisdom should be central in our lives. We should value it and seek it with all of our hearts. We should give it the honor that it requires. Those who walk in wisdom, walk with God. We should seek to be men and women of wisdom. Let the words of Solomon sink in:
(Prov 4:5-12) – 5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you. 10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. 11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. (NKJV)
“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom.” Do you realize what Solomon is saying? Wisdom is of highest value. It’s chief among all treasures. For the one who has wisdom, has the mind of God and walks with God and knows God’s will.
Obtaining sound wisdom should be our greatest passion and pursuit in life. Because then, not only will we be doing the things that are possible with God, but also the things that are according to the wisdom of God. The two will never contradict. Therefore, we must abandon all ideas about God’s will that are not in harmony with sound wisdom. Only then can we live a life that is rich and full and without regret. It’s very hard to make wrong decisions when we walk wisely. Successful is the Christian who is discerning and able to judge properly.