I had planned on writing further about Luke 5 today, but this verse struck a chord in my heart.
Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow; you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. {Proverbs 27:1}
There are so many pearls of wisdom about humility in the book of Proverbs that one could write an entire book about them and still not be done. I think this verse in particular speaks to something very important about humility: it's so, so important to know what you don't know.
I heard on a radio program once, and I'm sad to say I forget the source, that there is a vital difference between knowing and knowing. Forgive the redundancy and let me explain. We often speak about knowing things we've read in a book or in an article on the internet, things we verified with our doctor or heard from our Pastor or dear Aunt Sally. We have read it/seen it/heard it, therefore we know it.
But when the Bible speaks of knowing, it means experiencing or living it. One knows it because one personally walked or suffered through the experience. As you can see, a chasm exists between reading about it and living it. Being a little bit of a word geek {maybe are do, too?}, I love how this startling difference changes the meaning of some familiar verses, making them all the more rich.
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. {Genesis 3:6, MSG}
Eve was probably surprised and disappointed to realize she wouldn't actually be the wisest in the land but would instead experience the gamut of depravity and sin that plagued humanity.
Noah built an altar to God. He selected clean animals and birds from every species and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, “I’ll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I’ll never again kill off everything living as I’ve just done. {Genesis 8:20-21, MSG}
So sweet and merciful is this word, like the sacrificial fragrance wafting upward, that although God knew from the beginning of time the atrocities man's capable of, He will never again wipe us out.
“Don’t lay a hand on that boy! Don’t touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn’t hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me.” {Genesis 22:12, MSG}
God knows now because He experienced Abraham's faithfulness firsthand.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” {Psalm 46:10, NIV}
Scripture is seasoned with invitations to know God, to walk with Him, and to abide with Him in the mundane of everyday life. Experiencing Him changes us. It shapes us, molds us, gives us a fresh perspective, and keeps us humble.
Especially in this internet age, we think we are know a lot about something because we read an article or listened to a poignant TED talk, when we actually know nothing about at all.
I've learned there is freedom in yielding, in deferring to others who have earned a voice in a particular area with which I have no experience. We all have something to teach, but we also need to be students who willing to learn. Willing to be quiet and listen without judging, without forming counterpoints or arguments. Willing to sit with someones truth, regardless of how uncomfortable it may be.
The variety of backgrounds, stories, and experiences possessed by humanity weren't meant to pit us against each other but to enrich our lives and perspectives, ultimately pointing to the vastness, grace, and mercy of God.
I came across a comment on Facebook once that has continued to bless me:
The longer I am a Christian, the more I realize that I know so little of the big picture. I agree that when I see Jesus I want to be able to say, "I knew I couldn't judge rightly in all things, so I chose to love greatly in all matters." {Sonya Sampson}
So will you join me today in proudly acknowledging what you don't know? In letting God be God and allowing Him defend your name as He sees fit? Will you be a student of stories, quick to listen and slow to speak? Slow to become angry? Freedom exists in that space as we walk with Him in humility.
***********************
This post is part of a series I’m writing for the month of October called, Walking in Humility: Learning to Abide with God in the Everyday. If you’re interested in the reading the rest of the series, you can find it here. Enjoy!