Meditations for a Quiet Place

The Hope of God’s Glory

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Holy Spirit whom he has given us.

Romans 5:35.

I was driving to an appointment one morning as I listened to a program on the radio featuring a comedian. Her routine was based on her experiences, particularly on the occasion when her boyfriend dumped her. Not only that; but she had just lost her job, and coincidentally found out she was pregnant.

I arrived where I was going and turned off the radio without hearing the rest of her story. After my appointment I got into the car and continued to listen to the same station, except that another program was playing. This time the topic centered on the usefulness of failure. Adversity, as they opined, can be a springboard to success. Again, I could not stay in my car long enough to hear the conclusion of a good failure. This time I walked into a church service. The sermon topic was about the significance of suffering in a believer’s life. The sermon text was taken from the letter to the Romans 5:15. As the preacher spoke I began to connect the dots as I recalled the predicament of the young woman who lost her boyfriend and her job at the same time that she discovered her pregnancy. I placed this side by side of the notion of the advantages of adversity. The problem of suffering is food for thought for philosopher, theologians, comedians, and lay people alike. People handle life’s difficulties in different ways. Some seek help from friends and relatives, while others become withdrawn, and like a disturbed turtle, withdraw into the shell of depression. Yet, others look to alcohol for temporary relief; but others fight back and refuse to accept defeat.

The writer of Romans 5:15 knew and experienced adversity, suffering and pain on several levels and occasions (2 Corinthians 11:25). From Paul the Apostle, we learn that the proper foundation for dealing with suffering is faith in Jesus Christ (the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief Isaiah 53:3). Jesus supplies the grace for believers to have hope when faced with adversity. Paradoxically, “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:35). Suggested Text: Romans 5:111.

Suggested Prayer: Loving Heavenly Father, in all our afflictions You are also afflicted. Give us grace and faith to weather the storms of suffering and adversity.

Wisdom and Satisfaction Come, eat my food and drink the wine that I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live. Walk in the way of understanding. Proverbs 9:16

The desire for food and drink is a basic need in the existence of human beings. It is also a metaphor for fulfillment and satisfaction in life. In the animal world, a lot of energy is spent in search for food. Herbivores go about this peacefully, whereas predators do so more forcefully. The goal in all of this activity is satisfaction.

Satisfaction for humans goes beyond having a belly filled with delicious food. Obviously, life is not all about food: “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Because people, like sheep, have a tendency to wander in search of satisfaction, they need wisdom in order to go to the right places to find it. For sheep, there is the shepherd to guide them toward green pastures. For humans, wisdom is the proper guide.

What is wisdom? In general, skill, shrewdness, knowledge, good judgment, and prudence, are aspects of the operation of wisdom in an individual. In ethical and religious terms it is the skill required for godly living. Like all skills it improves with good practice. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). Good practice makes perfect. A craftsman does not become a master overnight. His skills are honed through taking and following instructions from the experts. “If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer” (9:12).

King Solomon presents wisdom personified as a woman of means sending out invitations for a banquet in her mansion. The invitees are promised a feast complete with meat and wine (9:24). They are guaranteed satisfaction: “Leave your simple ways and live” (v. 6). Satisfaction comes from being at the right place. For instance, the sheep in Psalm 23 have the green pastures and the quiet waters. Contentment, goodness, mercy (loving kindness) flow in abundance. Similarly, the person who is guided by the wisdom from the LORD, the Holy One, will be rewarded with length of days (Proverbs 9:11). The same cannot be said of the person who responds to the invitation sent out by the woman personified as folly (v. 4), whose offerings produce death for the invitees (9:18) because they lacked discretion by accepting her invitation.

Suggested Text: Proverbs 9.

Suggested Prayer: Holy Spirit, give me wisdom to cultivate your fruit as found in Galatians 5:22.