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Ask for Understanding – The Formed Future · Still, Here

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is still here.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: A quiet moment to remember what is true.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to these words from the book of Proverbs, chapter 2, verses 1 through 6.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: My son, if you will receive my words and store up my commandments within you,
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: so as to turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding, yes,
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: if you can call out for discernment,
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: We have access to more information than we can carry.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us can reach for a phone and find an answer to almost anything in a matter of seconds.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: We can read,
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: listen more,
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: search more,
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: ask another question,
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: compare another opinion,
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: use a tool that can organize enormous amounts of information before deciding what
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: the question really means.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: That is useful.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: But it is not the same thing as wisdom.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: There is a difference between information, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Information gives us facts and data.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Knowledge helps us know what something is.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Understanding helps us see what it means, how it works, and how the pieces connect.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom asks what we should do with what we now understand.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: How do I live faithfully with this?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: That final movement cannot simply be downloaded.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs does not describe wisdom as an answer that arrives
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: because we have asked quickly enough.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: It describes a person seeking.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: The ear turns toward wisdom.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: The heart applies itself to understanding.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: The voice calls out for discernment.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Wisdom is searched for like hidden treasures.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: There is desire in that.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: There is patience.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: There is humility.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then comes the line that keeps wisdom from becoming another achievement.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yahweh gives wisdom.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: We seek, but wisdom is received.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: We learn, but knowing more does not automatically make us wise.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: We can have accurate information and still respond badly.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: We can understand how something works and still not know what faithfulness requires.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: That matters for the future because we are not going to suffer from a shortage of information.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: There will be more data,
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: more predictions, more commentary, more analysis, more confident answers.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And probably more pressure to believe that a person with
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: the most information must be the person best prepared to live.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Not necessarily.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: A wise person does not stop with what is happening.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: A wise person asks, what does this mean before God?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: What is this forming in me?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: What response is faithful?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: What is mine to do now?
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Those questions slow us down in a good way.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: They move us from accumulation to discernment.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, think about one concern where you have been gathering information
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: but still do not feel clear.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you know a great deal about it already.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Ask yourself four questions.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: What do I know?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: What do I understand?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: What still needs discernment?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: What wisdom do I need from God?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Then, before you reach for one more source, one more search, one more opinion, pause.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Ask God first.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: The next answer may be helpful.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: But the goal is not simply to know more.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is to become wise enough to live what you know.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment for this prayer of presence.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Lord God, You give wisdom.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me the difference between more information and deeper understanding.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Help me receive knowledge with humility.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Assess what I learn with discernment.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: And live it with wisdom.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Keep me from chasing every answer while forgetting to ask You.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Turn my ear toward wisdom and my heart toward understanding.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me how to live.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: As you turn again toward your work and responsibilities, carry this prayer with you.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Give me wisdom.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me how to live.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Give me wisdom.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me how to live.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Give me wisdom.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me how to live.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Give me wisdom.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me how to live.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay steady, stay open, stay present.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: You are still here.