When loud voices around us are generating more volume than wisdom, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into the wise actions that will re-establish firm foundations.

Verses

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Proverbs 3:19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place.

Observations

Wisdom Establishes Foundations

Along with many others who have been more directly affected, I have been observing closely the storm season that has been so devastating in the USA this year. This is also a season characterized globally by many loud voices which are, unfortunately, generating more volume than wisdom. So Jesus teaching on wisdom is timely and relevant.
Wisdom establishes foundations. Wisdom is linked to the establishment of the earth (actually, the land) itself, and also to the process of building a house. In the instance of the house, this is referring to the physical structure within which an individual household or family make their dwelling. In the instance of the earth, or the land, it is referring to the promised domain of mankind. So if we wish to see our families and households established (or re-established if physical homes have been destroyed), and if we wish to see the foundations laid for us to live in the promises of God, wisdom is a vital key. Wisdom establishes the foundational infrastructure and institutions of marriage, of family, of households, of churches, of society and civilisation in general.

Wisdom is Guided Action

Wisdom itself is always connected to actions. For Jesus, it is connected to putting his words and the words of God into action. The action is not so much linked to the idea of a commanded action, which might arise without much thought put into it. Rather wisdom is linked to an action arising from words that have worked inside us to generate both skill and prudence. Wise action bears fruit, and wise action avoids both adverse consequences and evil more broadly. Wise action is sourced from the preceding action of seeking out the words of counsel and guidance.

So wisdom is also connected to the words of the one speaking, the one providing the counsel and guidance if you like. The words to be put into action must be wrestled with to ensure the action is appropriate and that the desired result will be firmly established. As Wisdom is one of the names of the Holy Spirit, along with Understanding, and Counsel, and Knowledge (Is 11:2), we might think of this task of wrestling with words to be wrestling with the Spirit of God. This form of wrestling commences with the fear of God in the sense that this shapes our desire to follow His words. But when in humility we realise we have only understood these words in part, we must then wrestle with his knowledge, his counsel and his understanding in order to put them into practice.

Wisdom Listens for the Voice of Heaven

While we are referring to understanding, let’s remember it was understanding that firmly established the heavens. While one aspect of the word heavens is the seen realm of the sky and the heavenly bodies, the other aspect is the “highest heavens”, the unseen realm of the throne of God. We are here interested in words of counsel from the sevenfold Spirit of God, standing in the throne room of heaven (Rev 4:5). So it is the unseen heavenly realm of the throne room that was fashioned and prepared by words of understanding. It is therefore words of understanding, counsel and knowledge from this location to which we must incline our ear, and with which we must wrestle to obtain the wisdom for guided action. From those wise, guided actions, foundations are established from which to instruct and ordain our families into the promised domain under the kingdom of God.

Wisdom Begins

Wisdom was present as the Spirit of God at the beginning of all things. Wisdom established the earth as the Spirit of Power moved in response to the Word of heaven, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3). So in what sense does wisdom have a beginning? How can the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), bring the eternal into time – our time?
The fear of the Lord is not an external urge to unthinking obedience. Rather it is an internal urge to take hold of eternal words from the throne of heaven. But it is precisely because they are eternal words that we must wrestle with them to bring them into our location in our time. Each generation has this task to begin wisdom again, so that the foundations might be re-established. Each generation must take its first breath, so to speak. We do this by wrestling the eternal words of heaven into our hearts and into our actions.

Prayer

Father, breathe upon me your spirit of wisdom, and ignite within my heart the eternal words of heaven, the living word of Christ. May I wrestle well with your words, so that I not only guard them in my heart, but that I may put them diligently and faithfully into practice. Let your spirit of wisdom guide my actions, so that firm foundations are established for me and my family. By your spirit of wisdom, establish firm foundations in the city and the society around me. Amen.

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