Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Doubts”
Our Bible verse for today: “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “You have to seek understanding. You have to work for it.”
In the book, “The Traveler’s Gift”, David Ponder is a middle-aged man whose life has fallen apart. He is in a deep dark valley, he can’t seem to find his way out, and he doesn’t understand why he is having so much trouble. He has doubts and fears and he desperately needs answers.
So God takes him on a little trip through time to have seven encounters with seven historical figures. In each of those encounters David is taught one important Biblical principle which, if applied to his life, will help him to live the life God wants for him.
On his second stop in history David meets with King Solomon, the wisest man in the world. Solomon’s lesson for David is, “You must seek wisdom”. You must “seek” it. You have to be willing to work to obtain it and you have to intentionally go after it. The wisdom Solomon was referring to is godly wisdom and it is found in the Bible. Solomon tells David, “Wisdom waits to be gathered. She cannot be bartered or sold. She is a gift for the diligent.”
One of the best lessons I’ve ever learned about how to seek the wisdom of God was taught by Henry Blackaby in his classic Bible study “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”. It’s all about taking the actions necessary to place yourself in a position before God whereby He can speak to you. This is probably the most thorough approach to hearing from God that I’m aware of.
Henry teaches that although God can speak to us in an infinite number of ways, in our day He most commonly speaks to us through five different mediums:
- Through the Bible
- Through prayer
- Through the circumstances of our lives.
- Through the counsel of wise and trusted Christian advisors.
- Through the testimony of the church.
When it comes to dealing with our doubts and finding answers to the questions that perplex us, we have to apply ourselves to hearing from God. That takes time and effort. It’s like King Solomon told David Ponder in the story of The Traveler’s Gift, wisdom waits to be gathered, but you have to seek it. Wisdom is a gift for those who are diligent.
The approach to hearing from God that Henry Blackaby teaches is bit labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it is also very effective. Tomorrow we’ll take the time to explore each of those five steps in greater detail.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 