Psalm 119:65-66 Good Training for Good Judgment

A young man grew up learning about the Bible and about faith in God. When he was twelve he surrendered to the Lord and was baptized. But during his teen years he drifted away from faith and from the church.

Now, in his thirties, he and his wife have returned to church and are growing rapidly in their faith.

He texted me the other day, asking a question about a scripture passage he was reading. They generally work hard to try to understand difficult verses, but when they can't quite put it all together, they've learned to ask questions from people who have been studying longer than they have.

In the midst of our conversation, he mentioned to me that a week or so earlier a random stranger had approached him at the store and asked him a question about the nature of God.

As we talked about this experience, I assured him he had responded well and gave him some suggestions for future situations.

I also assured Him there would likely be similar encounters in the future. It's clear to me that God recognizes his faith and knowledge are developing to the point where he's ready to handle opportunities to stretch his faith in a missional way.

I went away from the conversation overjoyed, knowing God is actively working to teach this young man wisdom.

The standard definitions for wisdom include the idea of knowledge, instructed and challenged by experience, resulting in good judgment and discretion. Those are the very things David talks about in these verses:

Do good to your servant according to your word, LORD.Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.

Psalm 119:65-66

Wisdom comes from learning God's Word and trusting His commands to be both relevant to daily life and reliable for guidance in the good life.

Devoting himself to increasing his knowledge of the scriptures is vital to my young friend's growth. But merely storing up facts and meditating on the ways of the Lord are not enough to produce wisdom.

He'll also need to rely on God's good will in assisting his good efforts. The Lord's divine appointments can be challenging, even frightening at times. But there's no better training ground for wisdom.

If only we trust Him.