wisdom

After 9/11, the U.S. government installed a color-coded alarm system to alert us to the threat of enemy attack—from red for severe risk, down to green for low. They knew that there are seasons when we need to be particularly diligent related to our security, but our responses should be based on solid evidence. It is foolish and wasteful to be on red alert all the time.

As we come to our final week on this series of biblical decision-making, we'll look at wise counsel. God has provided the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus called our Counselor, and the body of believers.

In this wisdom series, we have explored the idea that while God has revealed his will for all of humanity, he has not revealed his plan for individuals. As we make decisions in our lives, we do so within God's will for all humans but with God-given freedom.

Luke writes several "open door" stories in Acts--specifically open prison doors.

In the first story (Acts 5:18ff), the Jewish leaders imprisoned a group of apostles. An angel comes and swings open the doors, and the apostles leave.

In the second one (Acts 12:5ff), King Herod had arrested Peter, and the night before Herod would put Peter on trial, an angel leads Peter out of prison (after which, Peter has another door slammed in his face--the reaction of a surprised fellow believer).

A group of escapees comes to an intersection in the labyrinth.

"I think we should go right," one woman says.

Left. You need to go left. The voice is insistent in your head. "We need to go left," you tell the group.

"But you can't even see. How do you know?" someone asks.

"I just know."

Left you all go and in moments arrive in safety.

Sometime ago a friend and I headed to a meeting and stepped into an elevator, still chatting. We stood there engrossed in conversation waiting to be delivered to our destination. Finally, when the elevator wasn’t moving, we glanced at one another thinking that perhaps it was malfunctioning. Sadly the malfunction rested with us. We burst out laughing as we realized that neither of us had pushed the requisite button. Talk about missing the obvious.