The wisdom of God comes with the requirement that we put God's wisdom into play. Pastor Andy illustrates this through the story of David and Goliath.
Audio Transcript
To get lost you only have to make one wrong turn.
Let me try this one more time. To get on the wrong path — to go in the wrong direction — it all starts with one simple mistake. That's why every decision is an important decision.
Everybody say, "every decision." Every decision is an important decision and what it says at the bottom, "and he will make straight your paths" — this is an incredible phrase that many people have memorized. It's a favorite verse for some, but literally that word means "to make plain."
The NLT translates it this way — he will show you which path to take.
Now, I love this because the wisdom of God comes with the requirement that we put God's wisdom into play.
Let me say it one more time. The wisdom of God isn't given to you and then he says sit back and watch. God gives wisdom so that you can use it. He will show you the path, make it clear, and then say, "Get to steppin'."
This is the wisdom of God.
Bruce Waltke wrote one of the commentaries on the book of Proverbs that's considered a classic. It's really good and he tells the story in there of just that concept of what it means for God to show you the way and make your paths straight.
He talks about how he taught Bible stories to his daughter when she was little — that they would read the story then they would talk about the story and then they would act out the story over several days and so it was a neat pattern.
He said when we talked about David and Goliath, he said "I was Goliath and she was David and she would slay me with a dish towel and a ping-pong ball." You know David killed him with a slingshot threw the rock at him.
He says, "As we played it out in subsequent days as soon as I said are you ready to tell the Bible story she would run and get the dish towel he said 'No no no.' She would swing it and fling it at me and wait for me to die but I wouldn't do it."
She goes, "Daddy why don't you die?"
"Because you have to say 'I trust in the Lord' before you sling the stone."
*Sigh* "I trust in the Lord." And then she would fling it and he would die. He goes, "Yay!"
Then one day a few days later, she came out he says, "Let's practice our story."
She stood up and she just looked at him and went, "I trust in the Lord." And Goliath stood there. She goes "Daddy, I said it. Die."
He goes, "But you didn't sling the stone."
"But I said the words."
"Sling the stone."
"Daddy, I trust in the Lord." And she slung the stone and she brought the giant down.
Do you know what the wisdom of God is? It is trusting in the Lord and slinging the stone. It is hearing from him and then taking a step based on what he said. It is believing and relying and trusting and not leaning on your own but then you've got to sling the stone.
Can I get an amen in the house?
Watch the full sermon here.