Psalm 119:97-98, NIV
O how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
Wisdom and knowledge are very different. Two different people could look at exactly the same sets of information and come to entirely different conclusions. The problem is this – our understanding varies according to both our perspective and our experience.
We may think we know what a familiar mountain looks like, but when we see that same mountain from a different direction it looks entirely different. It’s all a matter of what our perspective is. We may set out to climb the mountain a certain way, but discover it’s impossible to approach the summit from that direction. Whereas the man with experience of having climbed the mountain before, may set off in a direction that looks longer, but he will always get there first, because he has learned from experience.
The problem with life is that we can look at all the circumstances prevailing around us and be at a loss as to what is the right thing to do. Our knowledge is limited, our perspective is not perfect and we have limited experience. What we lack is the wisdom to know what to do. We may have the facts but we don’t have the understanding as to what to do with the facts!
But there is One who has all knowledge, and His perspective on events and circumstances is always just right. The Lord is not limited by the horizons of our own experience. On our journey through life we desperately need to be taking our instructions from Him. No wonder the Psalmist was able to say ‘your commands make me wiser than my enemies.’ When we hear and obey His voice we will always be on solid ground.
His wisdom is essential if we are going to make our way through this fallen world, in which the enemy of souls is constantly wanting to trip us up and take us off course. With His wisdom we will always be wiser than our enemies – as we acknowledge Him, He will make our paths straight and show us the way to go – every step of the way.
Prayer: Father God, I confess that many times I have depended on my own knowledge and experience and have not listened to your voice or taken note of what you have said in your Word. Help me, Lord, to look up to you for the wisdom that passes all human understanding so that I will be wiser than my enemies and experience your blessing on my path. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.