How does life work? How can we keep life moving in the right direction? We all long for answers to these questions. As believers, we understand that the answers to these questions lie in the person of God. We serve a God who is all-wise. When we speak of God’s wisdom, we mean that “God always chooses the best goals and the best means to those goals.”[i] God knows what is best and works out those things in the best ways.

God is called “the only wise God” (Rom. 16:27) and “wise in heart” (Job. 9:4). Job further informs us that “With him are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13). This means that all God does is best. As God’s children we can be confident that God will never give us anything that is not best for us nor take anything from us that is best for us. Every trial, every struggle, every blessing comes from a God who is all wise.

We can be confident of God’s wisdom because we see it demonstrated in creation. The Psalmist declares, “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24). As we look at the changing leaves, the falling snow in intricate crystals, the animals running through the woods, and beauty of the sunrise, we are reminded that God is always wise and therefore God is always good.

In an amazing turn, God has offered his wisdom to us. James 1:5 informs us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” When we speak of wisdom in our lives, we mean seeing and understanding the world the way God sees and understands the world. So, when we ask, “how do we know how life works?” And “how can we keep life moving in the right direction?” The answer is to ask God for wisdom. James informs us that he will bestow this wisdom on us generously and will not mock us for needing it.

As you face the hardships, the blessings, and the confusing aspects of life, lean into the wisdom of God. He knows what is best and he knows the best ways to accomplish those things. He has not forgotten you. He has not failed you. He is continually working for the best things in the best ways.

[i] Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. p. 193.