Community meditation comes from Romans 11. Romans 11, verses 33 to 36. Please stand for the reading of God's word. Romans 11, 33 to 36. This is a passage that talks about God's wisdom. Let's hear God's word now. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor? Or who has first given to him, and it shall be repaid to him? For of him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever, amen. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you that of you and through you and to you are all things. I pray that you would open our eyes to understand your word, to understand how you are wise, and that you would prepare us to come to your table. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. Imagine that you're sitting on an airplane and the plane starts to bounce. You're encountering turbulence. And there's a passenger next to you who is getting very agitated and upset about the turbulence. And he complains to the stewardesses. And then finally he gets up and he starts walking toward the pilot's cabin. And he complains to the pilot about the turbulence. And then he says, let me fly the plane. But this man has never flown a plane before. When we doubt God's wisdom and his wise plan for our lives, we're like that man. When life gets turbulent, we can be tempted to doubt God's wisdom. We can be tempted to think that God doesn't know what he's doing. that he's making a mistake, that we could fly the plane better ourselves. But God is the perfect pilot who knows what he's doing, and he can fly the plane perfectly because he is wise. What is God's wisdom? God's wisdom is the perfect skill that he uses to order and govern everything. God governs everything, he controls everything, and he directs everything, and he does it in perfect wisdom. God never makes mistakes, and he isn't just partly wise, he is all wise. He's wise in all of his attributes, in his mercy, in his justice, in his power, and in all attributes. And God's wisdom is shown in creation, in what he's made. God made everything with perfect skill and craftsmanship. Psalm 104 says, O Lord, how many are your works? In wisdom, you have made them all. There are so many examples of this. The earth and the sun are the perfect distance apart from each other. If the earth were a little bit closer to the sun, it would be too hot, we could not live, we would burn up. And if the earth were a little bit further, it would be too cold and we could not live, we would freeze. But God in his perfect wisdom put the earth and the sun the exact right distance apart from each other so that we could live on this earth. And that is a display of God's wisdom. Another way that we see God's wisdom is how he's made us, made us as humans, and how he's made babies. I've been thinking a lot about how God's made babies as I've been watching my daughter grow up. Just this morning, she was wriggling around and really trying to learn how to crawl. She can't do it yet, but she really wants to. But it's just amazing the way that God makes babies to grow and to develop, and that's part of God's wisdom. So God shows his wisdom in creation. God also gives us, gives people wisdom. God gives us wisdom so that we can live in this life in a way that honors God, in a way that is skillful and wise. And God gives us wisdom for every area of our life, and we need that wisdom for every area of our life. And that includes our work. Does anyone remember who Bezalel was? Bezalel was a man who lived in the Old Testament, and he was a man that God instructed to make the tabernacle, someone God called to make the tabernacle. And the book of Exodus says that God gave Bezalel wisdom in these three areas, wisdom in metalworking, in woodworking, and in craftsmanship. So God gave him wisdom, a skill, and an ability to work in his work of metalworking and woodworking and craftsmanship to make the tabernacle. Many of us have gardens, and the Bible says that God gives wisdom to the farmers, to those who grow food, to know how to plow their fields, to plant their crops, and to grow food. Isaiah 28 tells us that. So we need wisdom in every area, and God gives it, including in our work. It's not just for the so-called spiritual things that we need wisdom, but for everything we do. So, since we need wisdom for every area and God gives it, we should ask him for it. James 1 says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all freely and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. So, children, If you're struggling with a difficult problem in your schoolwork, ask God for wisdom. College students, ask God for wisdom in your studies. And adults, ask God for wisdom with problems with your work. And all of us, we all need to ask God for wisdom with whatever we are going through because we need it and God promises to give it. So ask God for wisdom. God's wisdom is seen, finally, in how he orders all things, all events. God works everything together for good, and he does it in his wisdom. One of the most evil events in history was Christ's crucifixion on the cross. and yet that itself was part of God's perfectly wise plan. 1 Corinthians 1 says, Since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign. and Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. But to us who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Crucifixion in the ancient world was one of the most painful and shameful deaths imaginable, and it was done to the worst criminals. And so many people looked at Christ dying on the cross and thought, that's foolishness. But in reality, it was actually God's wisdom, part of God's perfectly wise plan to save sinners like us. And if God orders even the most evil events, the worst events in life for good, then we can trust him to order everything in our lives. As Romans 11 says, who has been his counselor? God doesn't need our advice, but he knows exactly what he's doing. He is all wise. So don't try to fly the plane yourself, but trust God to fly it. He has a perfectly wise plan for the world, and he has a perfectly wise plan for your life. At the Lord's table, we remember Christ's death on the cross that was according to God's wise plan. And we also receive from Christ everything we need. Christ is the wisdom of God and he gives wisdom. So trust in God's wisdom and come seeking God for wisdom. Let's pray. Lord, we praise you that you are the all-wise. We thank you for how your wisdom is shown in creation, in everything you've made. We thank you for how you give wisdom, and we thank you that you order all things for good. Help us to trust you, to trust your wisdom, to not try to fly the plane ourselves, but to trust you as the perfectly wise pilot, and help us to come to you trusting in you as trusting in Christ as the wisdom of God and looking to you for wisdom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.