Text: Romans 11:33-34; James 1:5
Every day you make hundreds of decisions. Most of them are easy to resolve. But occasionally you come up against a decision that can be the source of both fear and confusion.
Take my friend, Adam, for instance. Adam and his wife live in a comfortable home in a Midwestern community. Recently a close friend introduced them to a couple about to retire, who also has a house to sell. The home would put them in closer contact with some very good friends and good community resources. Adam and his wife have been given a tour of the house and they like the layout very much. But it is smaller than where they currently live. On top of the “opportunity” to move, an employment recruiter has approached Adam to offer him a potential new job. Like the house, the decision to switch jobs is not an easy one. How should Adam go about making these decisions?
Before you answer, I want to suggest you do two things.
- Change the question. After all, it is not about “how.” It’s about “who,” who does Adam need to know in making His decision?
- Read our texts for the week very carefully. In fact, it would be wise to read these texts several times before continuing further along in this post.
Romans 11:33-34 comes at the end of a long discussion about Israel’s future as the people of God. Paul concludes chapter 11 by telling his readers that Israel would go through a period of rejection, but then in God’s great grace, the elect people of the Old Testament would receive all the blessings God has promised to them. The overwhelming power of grace in chapter 11 takes one’s breath away. That is why Paul concludes this section with a hymn, a hymn of praise about God’s greatness and His knowledge.
Someone might question God’s strategy of grafting in Gentiles to God’s plan while temporarily excluding Jews. But such speculation is futile, since God…KNOWS…EVERYTHING! He not only knows everything, but what He knows and chooses to do with what He knows is good and perfect.
Theologians describe God’s good and perfect knowledge as omnisapience. He not only knows everything (omniscience), but He also knows what is best for His people. Paul gives us some of the details of this perfect knowledge in Romans 11:34-35. Notice three things:
God’s knowledge is vast and beyond measurement.
The apostle uses terms like “deep,” “unsearchable” and “untraceable” to describe what God knows. These descriptors tell us that God knows everything, and He knows everything completely. He also knows what is best for us, and what will accomplish His perfect will in our lives (cf. ROM 8:29).God’s knowledge is supreme.
That is, no human being has knowledge that comes close to what God knows. God does not need feedback from humans in making decisions about life. That is why Paul asks in Romans 11:34, “Who has been His counselor?” The intended answer is NO ONE!
God’s knowledge is accessible to human beings.
That is the point of James 1:5. We often don’t know what to do in the midst of trials and complex decision-making. Yet God is always available to reveal His knowledge with us. That is why decision-making is not about how to decide on something. It is about “WHO” has the information we need.
Ponder the implications the doctrine of “omnisapience” has for you.
Do you have a decision to make that seems overwhelming? If so, keep this in mind:God's perfect and unlimited knowledge is our best resource for making good decisions.
How do we ask God for wisdom?
Since God’s knowledge is both good and unlimited, we must do what James commands us to do. If you lack wisdom regarding the issues that are before you, “Ask God, who gives (wisdom) to all in generous portions without finding fault (James 1:5).” And don’t just ask once or twice. The grammar of James 1:5 teaches us to continually ask God for wisdom again and again.What happens when we feel He doesn't hear us?
But what if you decide on a path to take, assuming that God has revealed that path to you, and things don’t go smoothly?God never said that doing His will would come without challenges.
The same God who reveals information to make good decisions is the same God who is present to keep on guiding us in every endeavor of life. So keep asking Him for wisdom. And keep trusting Him in all you decide to do.
