“Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?” [Isaiah 40:13-14]
“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ,” [1 Corinth. 2:13-16]
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -- and he will delight in the fear of the LORD,” [Isaiah 11:1-3]
“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it -- the LORD is his name: `Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know',” [Jeremiah 33:2-3]
“For this is what the LORD says -- he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited -- he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other,” [Isaiah 45:18]
When I was a child, I loved to watch one of the cheesiest sci-fi shows around: Lost in Space. The character that I found the most interesting among the cast on that low-budget show, was Robot. Two famous lines that Robot would repeat were “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!” and “That does not compute.” When Robot couldn’t make sense of something, he would acknowledge that some things just don’t compute. That’s so true. Why do children need to die at such a young age? Why do wicked people seem to prosper and why do good people seem to always be suffering? That does not compute. One classic question is, “If God exists, then why is there so much evil in the world?” Some things don’t make sense because they are perceived from corrupted perception of the world.
We’re told in the Scriptures that some things are only spiritually discerned with the help of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we can make sense of some things only when we begin thinking like God does. The world can’t “compute” many things, but “we have the mind of Christ,” [1 Corinthians 2:16]. There is a reason why God gave us the Bible, and it’s not to sit on a shelf and collect dust. Some will say, “I don’t read the Bible because I can’t understand it…” Remember, some things are only spiritually discerned with the help of the Holy Spirit. If I seek to understand the will and message of God by using worldly criteria, then I won’t get it. But understanding comes to those who ask for it. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God offers understanding to whoever wants to know the answers to “why.” Answers are readily available, but some answers can only be accepted and understood if we’re thinking with the mind of Christ. But we have the Spirit of understanding. And some things can only “compute” if we accept them with humility. Our carnal, sinful nature baulks at the truth of God and continues in unrest, confusion and chaos. But when we yield to the Spirit of God, we find peace, understanding and an intimate love and harmony that makes us want to shout from the rooftops, “Jesus is Lord!” The spirit of this world will only bring destruction and death, but the Spirit of Christ is LIFE. And the understanding given by God is the only understanding that will ever offer perfect sense.
Is your heart heavy? Are you confused and burdened by so much stress that you can’t make sense of it all? Then, as the old hymn suggests: Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord. Take some time to read the Word of God and pray that the Spirit might teach you as you read, because He is the LORD, the Spirit of understanding. He is the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. Trust in Him, and you will never be put to shame; you will never be disappointed. With the LORD… everything computes.
On the Solid Rock we stand!
George