Psalm 9:15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

For once I’m writing on a verse I’d not underlined previously! This jumped out at me because it looks like Russia, courtesy of Putin, has gotten itself into a bigger mess than what they’ve done to Ukraine, and that’s saying a lot. This is actually a phenomenon we see time and again throughout history, and it should give us hope. We see only our immediate situation, and often we don’t see that very clearly or accurately. God, on the other hand, sees everything at once, and He doesn’t miss a thing. We have no idea what the final consequences of anything will be, but God does. We’re back to the mystery of free will vs. predestination. We can’t really wrap our minds around the fact that though God knows what we will do, He doesn’t make us do it. If we were automatons, pre-programmed robots with no initiative or choice, we would have no responsibility, no accountability. However, our choices are real, despite God knowing ahead of time what they will be. We can go crazy thinking about that too much! The point is to fix our minds and hearts on the One who created us, loves us, and knows how it will all turn out. Faith can seem theoretical at times, but this boils down to very practical trust. The phrase “above my pay grade” has become popular in recent years, but the simple fact of the matter is that our minds can wrap themselves around only a limited subset of reality, and when we delve into things too far, we can lose our hold of even the reality we experience. This I think is the origin of both the phrase, “Ignorance is bliss,” and the rather nihilistic pronouncements in Ecclesiastes. Solomon chose to depend on his own intellect, and though it was prodigious it eventually led him far astray, to his own detriment and that of the whole nation. The path of genuine wisdom is humility before and obedience to our Creator. We are to use the minds we have been given, but never think we can approach God’s level. It’s like He said to Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Whatever is going on around us, we need to remember that God has the final answer, and rest in peace in that assurance.

As I have written many times, intellectual pride has been a real snare to me. I was in the fifth grade when my IQ was first tested, and my teacher was blown out of the water. Sadly, I started believing what was being said about me, and that was a huge mistake. It was years later that the Lord showed me a mirror and I got a glimpse of the depth of my pride, and I repented in tears. That was almost 50 years ago now, and I’m still learning to trust God first and foremost, rather than whatever my mind can figure out. I need to recognize even more that I am a little child compared to God, and trust my Daddy to lead me rather than heading out on my own.

Father, I certainly didn’t expect this when I started writing! Thank you for indeed guiding me. I do continue to pray for the situation in Ukraine, as I continue to pray for the situation in the US, and for that matter, around the world. May indeed Your name be acknowledged as holy and Your rule and reign be established as Your will is done, and may I fulfill my part in all of that, however small it might be, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!