God’s wisdom is immeasurable. It has no height, no depth, no beginning, and no end. He can untangle every problem and piece together every mystery. Because he is infinite, there is nothing his wisdom cannot penetrate. That means that you can never be in a place where God is unable to help you unless, of course, you choose to reject his help.
Because we humans are subject to time, we usually operate with a short term perspective, seeking quick answers to pressing problems. Unable to envision the future from God’s point of view, we want what we want right now. We are like the 20-year-old who won’t invest in a retirement fund because he can’t imagine ever being old enough to need one. The problem with a short term perspective is that it tips us toward confusion and depression when things don’t turn out as we think they should.
But God always keeps eternity in mind. Without an eternal perspective, how could he have sent his Son to die for us? If we want his wisdom to characterize our lives, we need to pray that God will help us to embrace an eternal view of life.
Here’s one man who has made this shift, as is evident from the letter below:
Dear Friends,
It's been a while since we wrote and many of you have asked for an update. I will try to be informative but not too descriptive!
Back in August I had surgery on my head to remove a very large infected scab due to continued bleeding from my vascular cancer. This necessary surgery left a large wound that bleeds continually and one that the doctors say will not heal due to tumors growing in that area. Thus I sport a very large turban-like wrapped head that my wife gets to dress a few times a day in the most fashionable way.
Last week, after a short bout with painful breathing, it was discovered that I have lesions on my lungs. They are most likely more cancer. So we are now at a crossroad. We have decided against further treatment or surgery, so have opted for palliative care.
These last weeks our friends have showered us with love, soup, flowers, emails, meals, cards, visits, phone calls and prayers that have encouraged and lifted us. It reminds us of our favorite quote from Dr. V. Raymond Edman:
Say not my soul, “From whence can God relieve my care?”
Remember that Omnipotence hath servants everywhere!Many of you told us you were praying for us faithfully and we thank you. God has given us a heart of peace and thanksgiving for so many years of His blessings. Just today we read Psalm 139...and verse 16 reminded us "...all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!"
This is a new journey for us and we wish to travel it in faith and trust in a Sovereign God who has already planned each day. Will you pray that with us?
Thank you for your friendship.
Still in HIS Grip,
Ruth and Tedd Bryson
Tedd died a few weeks after that letter was sent. He and his wife, Ruth, had learned the secret of wisdom, relying on the Sovereign God who has already planned every one of their days from now and into eternity.
