In a recent devotion I shared a wonderful quote by the late theologian, J. I. Packer on how to become a healthy Christian. In today’s devotion may the following insightful quote by Packer serve as our starting point on how to obtain divine wisdom: “Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty, acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.”1
Before we discuss how to obtain divine wisdom it is important to distinguish the fact that there are two types of wisdom described in the Bible – God’s wisdom and human wisdom. According to the website biblehub.com:
“God’s wisdom is a central theme throughout the Bible, characterized by its divine origin, infallibility, and eternal nature. Unlike human wisdom, which is often limited and flawed, God’s wisdom is perfect and unsearchable. The Bible frequently emphasizes that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 states, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.’ This verse underscores the foundational role that reverence for God plays in acquiring true wisdom.”[1]
In addition, God’s wisdom is described as being beyond human comprehension while human wisdom, in contrast, is often depicted in the Bible as limited and often in disagreement with the wisdom of God.
According to Packer, there are four “not until” statements that we must meet before we can claim to acquire divine wisdom.
(1) Not until we have become humble and teachable
A humble heart realizes that our human wisdom often falls way short of God’s wisdom. A humble heart has a great reverence for God. And a humble heart cries out to be taught by God. No wonder being humble and teachable is the starting point on the pathway towards obtaining divine wisdom.
(2) Not until we stand in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (Proverbs 9:10), tells me that without standing in awe of God and reverencing His holiness and absolute sovereignty, we will never be able to obtain God’s wisdom that transcends human understanding. Since God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent it stands to reason that His divine wisdom is simply unobtainable unless God grants it to us. When we bow down with humbleness of heart and stand in awe of our Creator we are well on our way to receiving this special wisdom.
(3) Not until we acknowledge our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts
Since God created the entire universe by just speaking it into existence, it becomes us to accept the realization that we are just a tiny speck in God’s immense creation. Our minds, while amazingly complex and capable of doing incredible thinking, are infinitely inferior to the mind of God. And without acknowledging our total inability to grasp the wisdom of an infinite being we will never be able to be in a position to distrust our own thoughts and thereby be ready to receive this divine wisdom. Not until we tell God that we are incapable of understanding divine wisdom unless God chooses to give it to us will we ever be able to receive it.
(4) Not until we are willing to have our minds turned upside down
Our minds are not capable of understanding the infinite mind of God. It’s kind of like asking an ant to understand the Wall Street Journal. It doesn’t have the facility in its tiny ant brain to comprehend this feat. And so it is with us. When we come before our God we need to let Him turn our minds upside down and completely empty them of our pride and foolishness of having any hope of understanding His wisdom unless He reveals it to us.
So if you want divine wisdom, first, let Jesus be the Lord of your life. Second, come to him with a humble, and may I add a broken and contrite heart. Third, acknowledge just how holy and sovereign He is. Fourth, realize that we can’t trust our own worldly thoughts. And fifth, ask God for a complete reprogramming of the tape decks in our minds from human to Christlike. Once we have taken these five steps get excited for you will receive divine wisdom from above!
1 J.I. Packer – Not until we have become humble and teachable,…
WHEN GOD TURNS YOUR BRAIN UPSIDE DOWN (HOLY MISCHIEF)
m.r.neveu
• Divine wisdom begins where my self-confidence ends.
• God’s wisdom isn’t an upgrade to human wisdom. It’s a different operating system entirely.
• True wisdom requires the courage to let God rearrange the furniture in my mind.
Float the bubble, Ethyl, cast off and underway, all ahead 1/3.
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Curt starts us off with J.I. Packer’s spiritual chiropractic adjustment: “Not until we have become humble and teachable… can divine wisdom become ours.” Spot on. Divine wisdom doesn’t arrive like a TED Talk. It arrives like a controlled demolition. God doesn’t sprinkle insight on top of our existing opinions. He flips the table, clears the debris, and says, “Now, let’s try this again.” Yeowza.
Curt reminds us that “there are two types of wisdom described in the Bible: God’s wisdom and human wisdom.” One is eternal, infallible, rooted in fear of the Lord. The other is… well… the stuff I post online at 2 a.m. after reading half an article.
Ya gotta Come correct at this buffet line if ya want the hot food. Ya can’t just hang out the tongue and expect everyone ta pat your head, iffin ya think your pretty, boss.
“Now, let’s try this again.”
Divine wisdom isn’t just something God gives. It’s something God protects me from misusing.
Human wisdom is like handing a toddler a chainsaw.
Divine wisdom is like God gently removing the chainsaw and giving me a crayon instead. Hint: use the sharp end, uh?
It’s like I got ahold of a secret decoder ring. Divine wisdom is the solution to what happens when people try to understand the universe using only their own mental flashlights. Wormholes, Samurai Hyperspace, Ninja Magaspace…it’s delightful, chaotic, and exactly what human wisdom looks like when it’s left unsupervised.
One line from Curt’s devotional hits the nail on that flat head: “Our minds… are infinitely inferior to the mind of God.” Not the sharp end this time, Kellog.
Yes. Correct. And yet I still try to run the cosmos from my couch.
Receipt of Divine wisdom requires four “not untils.” Curt lays them out beautifully. I’ll translate, cuz according to an impeccable source, I’m pungent and perky that way.
1. Not until we become humble and teachable. Translation:
Stop pretending I’m the smartest person in the room. God is in the room. I are not winning this contest.
2. Not until I stand in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty.
Translation:
Start thinking God is big, stop thinking my opinions are.
3. Not until I acknowledge my littleness and distrust my own thoughts. Translation:
Geez. And I thought My brain was a wonderful servant and a terrible master.
Also, I am not the main character of the universe. (Tragic, but true.)
4. Not until I am willing to have my mind turned upside down
Translation:
If God doesn’t rearrange my mental furniture, I’ll keep tripping over the same spiritual coffee table for the rest of my life.
Trippin.
Trying too hard to understand everything is the fastest way to understand nothing.
The harder you search, the less you find.
Divine wisdom often arrives when I stop performing intelligence and start practicing surrender.
**The Fifth Step**:
Divine wisdom requires holy curiosity, the willingness to let God surprise you.**
Not suspicion.
Not cynicism.
Not “I already know this verse.”
Curiosity.
The kind that says:
“Lord, if You want to turn my mind upside down, go ahead — just don’t let anything fragile fall out.”
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…Words for the Children
God loves to teach you things, but He teaches best when you listen with a soft heart. When you don’t understand something, you can ask Him. He never gets tired of your questions.
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Leave the tip:
Curt’s devotional shows us the doorway to divine wisdom: humility, awe, littleness, surrender. The alternative? Human wisdom spinning itself into Samurai Hyperspace. Tonight’s essay reminds us that divine wisdom is not earned, discovered, or decoded. It is grace received.
And the moment you stop trying to be wise is often the moment God finally can make you so.
Divine wisdom begins the moment I cease auditioning for the role of God.
Thanks Mr. Blattman
Excellent post brother Curt and comments by our brother – thank you both. God bless you today 🙏