When I finally do, let it come from You, a Piece of Understanding Grips my Soul

Direction. We all want it, why else would we be a society so dependent on it? Whether it be instructions on building something, how to go about doing something at work, or just how to come to the answer for that homework problem, in some way or another we want direction. The most obvious example is when we drive. We have different brands of GPS, a GPS on our phone, GPS on the internet, some cars now come standard with GPS. A GPS is like a guarantee. I know that should I lose my way, my GPS will get me back on the road. Now let me ask you something, how on earth can you get lost if you have a GPS? If you type in the address, it verifies its existence, then calculates the route and begins telling you when to turn, where to turn and how much longer before your next turn, how is it we still get lost? Is it that we decide not to listen to the GPS? The answer is right in front of us, what makes my skull so thick that it refuses to take the directions being given to me?

At this point, you don't have to be a scholar to see where I am going with this. We all as humans want direction. To be given direction is to be given purpose, to be shown where to go, and moreover, how to get there, is central to our lives. When you have direction, in a sense it brings comfort. The time it takes us to get where we need to be is dependent on our willingness to listen, our willingness to learn and our willingness to forget our failures.

So today I received a text from someone in response to a prayer request I sent them. "Pray that God gives me direction." Man who doesn't want direction, more so from our Creator? I couldn't help but wonder, "Man what verse would really rock this person, or at least give them some direction to know what to do?" Of course, you know the book that came to mind, James. James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

What is reproach? Webster defines it as "criticism or disapproval for having done something wrong, or an expression of this." So when I ask for wisdom, I can't think God is saying, "You again? I gave you wisdom last week, what happened to it? You forget already....well no, I'm done." He isn't like that. To Him, you are forever worth dying for, hence why He gives to us liberally.

Now what does that have to do with direction? Well when I started writing this, I will confess, I forgot to James 1:5 the blog. I forgot to ask God for wisdom, so that the wisdom He gives, would direct my path.

Proverbs 3:4-5
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

We sometimes try to rely on our own wisdom, on our own understanding to figure things out on our own. "No God, I got this, sit this one out." Hours later, we come crawling back, begging for wisdom, repenting like children. Without reproach, He gives.

I want to clarify something before I keep blogging. I love wisdom. I am crazy about learning, but God has convicted me on something and I want to make sure I make it clear in this post. Anything and everything I post, is a combination of things that pop up in my head, things I hear in sermons, and convos I have with friends. I am never above anything I say, everything I have typed, everything I have said, applies 10 times as much to me, as it does to you, trust me, else my heart wouldn't be burdened so much to type it out. It is all about taking my thoughts and my experiences and sharing them, in hopes that I might touch someone in some way through my trials.

Getting back to wisdom, when we have that wisdom that He generously gives, we then make better decisions in life. And that wisdom He gives, gives us direction. Think about an instruction manual. It provides me the wisdom I need to be able to build something. It gives me the direction I need to go about putting together that table or that chair. Now I have a choice, either I apply the wisdom and have myself a chair to sit on that won't fall apart, or I neglect the wisdom, and fall on my face.

Wisdom gives us direction. When the wisdom comes from the wisest of them all, then the direction comes from Him as well, and you can't go wrong with that type of GPS...

Don't take my word for it, take His, wisdom owns!

For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors. Ecclesiastes 7:12

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Proverbs 4:6-7

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
Proverbs 16:16

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength 1 Corinthians 1:25

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17