Wisdom … I’ve been reflecting on wisdom recently and acknowledging how negligent I can be in seeking it myself. “The Serenity Prayer” kept coming to mind, so I thought I should see what God had to say to me about it. I must confess, I’ve never really given much thought to the words of the prayer. I’ve always thought of it as the beautiful prayer used in recovery programs, but it is so much more. It is the plea of people who are desperately seeking freedom from bondage, and aren’t we all in bondage to something?
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, courage to change the things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.
Consider this:
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Cherish her [wisdom], and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
(Proverbs 4:8)
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In this passage, the word embrace is what captured my attention and has been the focus of conversation between the Lord and me.
One of the definitions of embrace is “to take or receive gladly or eagerly.” I found this striking for a few reasons. Wisdom is always there, always available in the Lord; however, it is up to me to receive it and to do so “gladly and eagerly.” Not as simple as it sounds. I somehow think I know better, or at least I want to try it my way first, which never works out. So, in reference to “The Serenity Prayer” and the role it plays in living in obedience to God, I have gained some interesting insight.
Quick, Quick, Slow
There are three steps in the Serenity prayer, each important in its own right, and together they are the way through which we move forward and realize our need for and grow in our walk with Jesus.
The first step (quick) -
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change
I like to think I can “fix” anything, whether it’s a thing, a situation or a person (myself included). After banging my head against many doors, I will often exhaustedly admit defeat. Even then, I am often determined to try “one more thing” more than once. (I should probably mention here that I am stubborn.)
I also want to change things to the way I want them to be. Primarily because I obviously know what is best (eyeroll). So the concept of things I “cannot change” is clearly a little fuzzy to me and I often find myself frustrated and unhappy.
I cannot heal people who are sick or bring back loved ones I’ve lost.
I understand these things. However, changing peoples’ minds, repairing broken relationships, preventing consequences, postponing the inevitable – those are definitely trickier. Jeremiah 29:11 often springs to mind, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” and while I believe this in my heart, my mind takes a while (sometimes a long while) to catch up.
The second step (quick) -
Courage to change the things I can
What can I change? Anything in my life that requires self-discipline, I can change with the help of the Holy Spirit. The key is asking for and receiving that help, knowing that I will have to face truths that could be painful and difficult. The beauty of walking in concert with the Holy Spirit is that things that are painful and difficult are transformed into endurable and achievable, then ultimately embraceable and content.
I’ve come to understand that just because I can change something doesn’t mean I’m willing to make that change. Maybe fighting to change something that seems impossible (large or small) requires more worry than work, while striving to accomplish the things I can change requires more effort than I am willing to exert. Ouch. That smarted a bit.
I can quickly decide what can be changed and I can quickly decide what cannot be changed. Wisdom is the longer step where I come to realize that if it is His will, God can change what I cannot, and that with God’s help I can change what is within my capacity.
Finding acceptance or courage in any given situation can be a heart-wrenching process because it requires stepping back and coming to a full stop. It gives us an opportunity to breathe and look to the Lord for His wisdom and entrust the situation completely into His all-powerful, nail-scarred hands. What do we do in the meantime? Rest in Him, talk to Him, spend time in His Word and listen for His voice. He will lead us in the direction that is for our good, our very best. Until then, we wait. He doesn’t need our help.
The third step (slow) –
Wisdom to know the difference
I know what I cannot change and what I can change. To find acceptance and demonstrate courage requires wisdom, and true wisdom comes from the Lord.
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For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come
knowledge and understanding.
(Proverbs 2:6)
This is what we speak, not in words taught us
by human wisdom but in words taught
by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities
with Spirit-taught words.
(1 Corinthians 2:13)
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Acquiring godly wisdom can be a lengthier endeavor, because it often battles against human wisdom. It requires letting go and not trying to orchestrate things so I can maintain some kind of control over a situation when human wisdom whispers intoxicatingly in my ear that I know what is best for me.
The Lord gives wisdom freely, but until we are ready to receive that wisdom we will continue to waver between right and wrong decisions. But it is in that wavering we learn and grow in our faith. We begin to see the battle for what it is, the war against darkness and light. Our flesh will always be tempted into darkness which promises desirable and satisfying trappings that are so shiny and exciting. But these promises come with consequences and in these difficult moments the enemy will whisper words of condemnation to us that these consequences are punishments from God and that He is angry with us. God’s Word tells us differently.
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Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 8:1)
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God is always patiently waiting for us to turn to Him and He promises that “in ALL things He works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” I have witnessed Him fulfill that promise in my life over and over again in many ways, and surely there have been thousands more that I have not seen.
Choosing to follow wisdom that comes from the Lord is not always an easy step, but it is in those moments that acceptance and courage come together to embrace wisdom.
The Embrace of Wisdom
God has definitely given me a penchant for whimsy and drama, which influenced my reflections on the principles of acceptance, courage and wisdom. I found myself thinking, “quick, quick, slow,” the rhythm of a waltz as I looked at the principles of acceptance, courage and wisdom. While most of us have rarely or ever waltzed, we’ve seen it in Disney movies, old films, or Hallmark movies.
As noted earlier, we are told to “embrace wisdom” in Proverbs 4:8, and we know that we have wisdom from the Lord. What better dance partner?
God tells us in Galatians 5:25 to “keep in step with the Spirit,” so let’s hold on as He twirls and spins us around the dance floor and all the things around us become clear and we begin to understand what our next step is.
I know, I know. Life isn’t a fairy tale. It can be harsh and filled with peril at every turn. There is evil in the world and many are fighting invisible battles and others openly suffering at the hands of cruel people. I will never diminish the pain of others. I will tell you that God is only a whisper away. “And everyone that calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:21). It is that simple. The softest whisper of “Jesus” brings about the loudest rejoicing in Heaven and unleashes the unstoppable might of Almighty God. He may not immediately change the situation, but He will begin a change in you.
Miraculously, we have Jesus in our hearts and because of that we can dance in our spirit! I can only imagine that Daniel danced in the lion’s den, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego boogied in the furnace with Jesus, and Paul tap-danced in prison. God tells us to “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). Because of Christ in us, we can laugh in the face adversity and dance with total abandon.
No matter what is going on in our lives, we are never out of God’s grasp, and though we may not be dancing in the moment, we are resting securely in His embrace and we will dance again.
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