Gaining Understanding

You know those difficult life situations that cause you to ask the age-old question, “God, where are you right about now?”

Each of us has struggled in different ways, with different situations, and has asked this question in different ways, but it always revolves around the same idea—that God seems further away than we’d like.

In difficult situations, our deepest desire is to have understanding and hope for the outcome.

All we want to know is what’s going on and how we can fix it. So often the greater struggle is not the situation itself, but the fact that we are not in control of it.

It was in the middle of one of these difficult life situations that God revealed to me a truth that I have held onto ever since. It’s from Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

I have always registered with this truth. When I am walking through a difficult situation, fearing God will bring wisdom for the situation. That part of the verse is powerful, but it was the next part that struck me at my core.

To know the Holy One is to have understanding. God revealed to me that I may not have understanding of the situation, but to know Him is to gain the understanding that knowing Him is all I need.

God never promises understanding for the situation, but He does promise that He is closer to the situation than we may believe. Our difficulties do not shock Him. To know Him is to understand that He is more than enough for me in the midst of my circumstances. When things are hard, fear God and just simply know Him.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. —Proverbs 9:10, NIV

Prayer: God, help us to know that all we need in difficult situations is you. To know you is to gain the understanding that all we ever need is you. Thanks for being in the middle of our messy lives. We love you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeffrey Hawthorne works as the Facilities Planning Support Specialist at the Global Ministry Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.