Kingdom Building

June 10, 2019

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

The Lord created [Wisdom] at the beginning of his work,
   the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
   at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
   when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
   before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
   or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
   when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
   when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
  so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
   rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
   and delighting in the human race. –Proverbs 8:22-31

In the movie, Oh, God, George Burns playing the role of God, said something to the effect that he always wondered why humans did not ask him why he made the pit in the avocado so big. I actually have wondered that, but I have never inquired of God about it.  I guess it was not a big issue to me like wondering why some are cured of cancer while others are not or why some homes are struck by tornados and others are not or why cancer and tornados exists at all.

The poem above is telling us that wisdom was in place before the world was created, has always been, and will always be. Wisdom is innate in God. Our understanding of what is wise and what is not wise is a challenge requiring a deeper and deeper relationship with God. Our choosing wisdom over folly reflects our trust in God’s grand vision for Gods creation.

Perhaps the movie O, God is suggesting that we take God for granted most of the time until we find ourselves in the foxholes of life. I think God is saying that we can take God for granted because God is omnipotent—all powerful, omniscient—infinitely wise, and omnipresent—always near. It is, however, greatly to our advantage not to take God for granted. God longs for relationship, wants to love us, and wants to be loved. When we open ourselves to loving God we are empowered, learn wisdom, and are never alone.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the depth and breadth of your love. Amen.

*For more information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_God!_(film)

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.