Where Faith and Wisdom Meet
The Bible mentions wisdom approximately 218 times. Faith is mentioned approximately 270 times. Granted, wisdom appears more often in the Old Testament and faith more in the New Testament. I would imagine most Christ followers would agree that both are critical to following Jesus well.
As I write this, some states in the US are beginning to emerge carefully from the global pandemic of COVID-19. As I prepare to join my husband in leading both our family and our church plant out of this quarantine, I’ve been thinking heavily about how faith and wisdom intersect.
Faith in the Extreme
Faith is one of my spiritual gifts. It comes easily to me to trust God and believe in his sovereignty. I am not a fearful person. Faith is a beautiful thing and can testify to non-believers how Jesus can take a commanding role in our lives. To trust in something we cannot see is scary, freeing, and awe-inspiring.
Like many gifts, both of these traits can be dangerous in the extreme. If you have extreme faith but lack wisdom, you might take risks without reasonable precautions. You might believe so heavily in the sovereignty of God that you believe your decisions do not matter heavily. You might believe he will ultimately execute his will, regardless of what you do. Think of those who don’t wear a helmet on a motorcycle or who don’t wear a life jacket while out on the water.
I’m reminded of a fictional cautionary tale of a man standing on his roof in the middle of a flood. He is stranded and in need of rescue. A boat comes by and encourages him to jump down to be saved. The man replies, “No, my God will save me!” A helicopter then arrives, and a paramedic encourages him to get into the basket being lowered from above. The man replies, “No, my God will save me!” The man ultimately perishes and finds himself in heaven with God. The man says, “God, I believed fully in you! Why didn’t you save me?” God graciously replies, “I sent you both a boat and a helicopter, my child.”
Wisdom in the Extreme
Wisdom is also a beautiful thing. When I think of wisdom, I often think of those who have lived longer than I, but even the young can be wise. It is a gift evidenced by the story of Solomon in the Bible. (See 1 Kings 3.) God permits Solomon to ask for anything, and he requests the gift of wisdom. This in itself a wise choice. God is amazed by the request and provides wisdom abundantly.
The extreme of wisdom can be equally dangerous. If we rely only upon wisdom and have minimal reliance upon faith, what role can Christ and the Spirit truly play in our lives? Can extreme wisdom become a sin of control and fear? Think of someone who relies so heavily on knowledge and experience that they are hesitant to take any kind of risks—someone who leaves God no room in which to show himself.
Where Faith and Wisdom Meet
I believe we should live our lives somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, where faith and wisdom meet. We all have to choose where we land on the spectrum, and we would be wise to leave room for grace when others select a balance different from our own.
Many of us are seeking to find an appropriate middle ground where we seek to use our wisdom but leave room for faith and reliance upon God. Wisdom says I will buckle my children into their car seats when we leave our home. Faith says I will trust God to keep us safe or to walk through the trial with us if we are in an accident. Wisdom says I will shelter in place when asked by our governor to flatten the curve of COVID-19. Faith says I will not live in fear of the disease even as I take steps to avoid it for our family and community.
As we begin to emerge from extreme social distancing as a nation, we are all deciding what that will look like for our families. I think part of wisdom and faith meeting well includes an understanding that everyone’s choices will be different. I can be kind and respectful of your choice, and you can be kind and respectful of mine, even if our choices differ greatly.
Have you put any thought into where your faith and your wisdom intersect? Perhaps you’ve been living in one extreme or the other. Maybe it’s time to consider what your choices would look like if you selected a more central point on the spectrum. How can you live out a more active faith if you need to grow in that area? How can you increase the role of wisdom in your life if it is lacking? I know our heavenly Father would love nothing more than to answer your heartfelt prayer to find the ideal intersection of his gifts of faith and wisdom.
is a Jesus follower, wife, mom of three, church planter, finance director, and lover of sarcasm and deep conversation with friends. She also loves camping, rafting, skiing, sewing, and having people over. Amy blogs with her husband at fringechurch.com.
Photograph © Raychan, used with permission
Amen!
Wonderful post. I just recently quoted the story of the man in the flood myself. I am having a hard time, however, with “you do what you think is right, and I will do what I think is right” because of the communal nature of this pandemic and what is required of all of us to quell it. It doesn’t work if we don’t all do it. (Maybe 90% compliance from what I have read.) I struggle to be loving during all this but keep raising this to Jesus in prayer. Thank you for the post and the encouragement to continue to work out our interesections of faith and wisdom.