Proverbs 14:29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly
Recently I read in the news about a home whose backyard had basically disappeared, at least a good part of it. It had just sunk into the earth and disappeared like the sand out of an old-fashioned hourglass. It was a sinkhole, and where there had been an apparent yard on one day, the next day was no yard at all. It had just imploded on itself. Sometimes that is the way we are when it comes to life’s situations. We think we are on solid ground, but when push comes to shove, we are standing on a sinkhole.
Proverbs 14:29 says, “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.” So you have wrath and understanding. Wrath is an emotion. It is how you feel. Then you have understanding, which is what you actually comprehend of what is true. It strikes me that basically we have one of three ways to respond. We can respond to an issue by saying, “I feel that…,” “I think that…,” or “God says; God knows.”
Now as to feelings, so much of what we actually choose comes down to feelings. Even when we feel like we are making a logical decision, it is sometimes retroactive. We are putting a logical spin on what we feel we should do. I think there are reasons for feelings. Sometimes so-called instinct is actually a thousand micro thoughts you have from past experience. Even though you are not consciously putting those things together, your mind is doing so subconsciously and you have a gut reaction to something that happens. I acknowledge that. But, feelings are limited and feelings are certainly fickle.
Think about how often we respond to something by how we feel. We say, “I don’t see why…” or “I don’t feel that….” We are saying that we are responding to a situation by how we feel. First thing in the morning I sometimes feel like staying in bed. At the end of the day I sometimes feel like being a glutton instead of being careful of what I eat. There are numerous times throughout the day when I feel like doing the wrong thing and not the right thing. So, how you feel may be of some significance, but it is no way to live your life because it is up and down.
Perhaps a step better is saying, “I think.” Sometimes I have said, “I think,” and someone responds, “Well, that‘s what you get for thinking.” Again Proverbs 14:29 says, “He that is slow to wrath.” That is, you may feel something, but it is important the way it is controlled, with great understanding. So, you have how you feel and what you think. Thinking is important, but sometimes what I think can be misled. There has never been a day when our senses can be more misled than right now. Someone says, “Well, I know what I saw.” You may know what you saw, but what you saw may be false. There is so much going on today that is photo shopped that it is difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is really made up.
So, I feel, I think, and finally, “God says.” That is to say, God knows. The only solid ground is what God knows. How much do you know? You can’t see one mile down the road. You can’t see one minute into the future. So the fact of the matter is that though we talk about faith being blind, nothing is blinder than being limited to what you actually perceive.
What does God know? If there be a God, and there is, He knows everything. From beginning to end He knows the future. He is already there. So, the only solid ground today is what God knows. So, are you feeling today? Are you thinking today? Or, are you listening to God today and therefore knowing?
What a wonderful thing to not know the future or what is one mile down the road, but to know the One Who does know. That is where faith comes in. I can be quick to wrath and slow in understanding, or I can be slow to wrath and have great understanding. I can be hasty of spirit and exalt foolishness, or I can be wise because I am living my life based on the solid ground, not just on how I feel or think, but what God knows.