The Wisdom of God
Is not confined to the rulers.
For God has offered it to all.
Wisdom shines brightly
For all those whose minds are open.

The Wisdom of God
Is not confined to the clever;
For God has offered it to all.
The start of wisdom
Is a concern for learning.

The Wisdom of God
May be found by all who seek it;
For God has placed it in his Word.
To find out wisdom
We need respect for the Lord.

The pleasing of God
Lies not in great show
For God does not need
The pomp that we know.
God wants honest dealings
With both high and low
Aware of their feelings
And need to be true.

The pleasing of God
Is in a true life
For our God requires
We stand 'gainst sin's strife.
To do that God gives us
The strength of his Word
In Jesus god helps us
By faith, that we've heard.

We have inherited, from ancient times, a strong belief in a 'mechanistic' understanding of God's action. This is particularly evident in these old laments. As Christians in the twenty-first century we need to have a much more subtle approach to our understanding of the nature of God's action in the world. We cannot adopt the fatalistic attitude that ascribes everything happening to us as the "will if God". Such a 'god' is a monster! However we still have to address the question of the efficacy of prayer.

Here, again we must eschew any concept that is at all mechanistic. Having said that, there is good evidence to suggest that a subtle relationship exists between the activity of prayer and the physical/psychological state of the individual. Once more, care must be exercised. It may be that the well-known 'bell-curve' of distribution operates here. A few will be very sensitive, the majority significantly less so, and a few having no measurable sensitivity whatever. We need also to remember that God is omnipresent so that an appeal to "make haste" is redundant.

Our concept of 'time' is, indeed must be, very different from that of God. This began to be apparent almost as soon as the first Christians began to die. Those that remained were deeply concerned that those who had died had missed out on "the second coming". These words of Paul were a comfort than and may be so now. It is obvious that Paul was still expecting "the second coming" to be imminent. We can scarcely blame him. But as the centuries have passed it has become obvious that a rapid return is not on. This has not stopped all manner of persons scouring the scriptures for clues. All have ignored our Lord's warning about "times and seasons" which even he professed not to know!

This leads us into another of the great mysteries of our faith - the omnipresence of God. I am not competent to discuss this at any depth. I will simply say that, for me, the presence of God is to be experienced in any of those ways which stir and lift the spirit. This, I believe, is the working of the Spirit, even in me.

"Keep awake" the Lord has told us;
"Keep awake" he tells us yet.
What to watch for, that's the problem
For our ways are fixed and set.

Help my mind, Lord, to think on you.
Help my heart, Lord, love to know.
Use my skills, Lord in your service;
Jesus in my life to show.

Be aware of needs in others;
Be aware of selfish ways.
Be a family together,
Serving Christ through all our days.