Please don’t let my title startle you. I’m talking to myself. Through a number of recent experiences, I have been realizing that I often act like a know-it-all. When it comes to my marriage, my parenting, my relationship with God, my responses to circumstances in people’s lives, etc., etc., I so readily respond with the spirit of a smarty pants. Most significantly, I was communing with God this evening (an ashamedly infrequent occasion of late) and realized that I go about my day-to-day life so regularly without acknowledging God. “After all, I went to seminary, I preach and teach the Bible week in and week out. I’m ordained (OoooAhhh!), and I’ve read all sorts of theological books. If anyone knows God and what the Bible says of Him, I do” . . . Umm . . . No! But that is how I treat God and my daily need for Him. The truth is reflected in Paul’s Romans doxology, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Rom 11:33). But instead of crawling to Jesus in humility at the start of every day, I trample over top of Him and determine to have a successful day in my own earnest efforts and pretend wisdom. Lord, rescue me from my humanistic, self-determined flesh!!
Another situation in which this know-it-all, loud-mouthness came to my attention was in a conversation with a friend. I was sharing with him my struggle to be patient with my children. He pointed me to James 1:19 and following, “19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Quick to listen, slow to speak – that has not characterized me recently. Instead, with steam-rolling high self-esteem, I squash those impeding my determined path with angry, impatient words. For example, I am guilty of the classic response to my son’s appeals, “BECAUSE I SAID SO; NOW DO IT!!!” O, God, work righteousness in my children through a patient, Word-saturated father!
This slow-to-speak mentality was further reinforced this evening as I delved into my reading of the Book of Job. I am in the midst of the back and forth between Job and his friends and noticed something that applied to my life. Now, I’m not sure you could accuse Job’s friends of being slow to listen and quick to speak, because 2:13 says they came and sat with him for 7 days and 7 nights without anyone saying a word. Of course, in that day there were no high-speed societal pleasures like Twitter, microwaves, dual core processors, and hair dryers; so, what were they going to do? I digress (more on modern progress later hopefully). Back to Job’s friends; when they did speak, it became evident they didn’t shut up for long enough. Their know-it-all mouths spoke with great clarity (in their own minds). “Job, it seems clear. You must have sinned. Why else would you be suffering this way?” Job responds, as John Piper poetically puts it, “O spare me now, my friends, your packages of God.” Gulp . . . I’m afraid I am guilty of the same high-mindedness. “Yes, I have an answer for that struggle, Dear. Let me just pull out a package from my great inventory of God-knowledge and give you an answer,” I may be found saying to my wife in private conversation. But, do I really know God if I am not ever increasing in my knowledge and experience with Him in private communion on a regular basis? Even if that were so, I have no right facing decisions and making responses in every day life with out depending on God for wisdom. The depths of His love are fathomless. His holiness is beyond full comprehension. “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” (Rom 11:34). Gracious God, fill me with the humility of Christ!
Quick to listen; slow to speak . . . Maybe a down side to our fast paced world is that we don’t have time to listen and feel we have to speak. We have to do something, right? If I would take James 1 and apply it to my relationship with God, I would sit, and sit, and sit some more. I would listen to Him by praying, meditating on His Word, and seeking His wisdom. Proverbs emphasizes this painstaking search for wisdom with words and phrases like the following: acquire, diligently seek, search, receive, give attention, make your ear attentive, incline your heart to, seek as silver, etc. Knowing God and His will takes time – time listening and time searching.
I hope my self-directed tirade helps you as it has me. Feel free to join me in pummeling my person. I would love to see more Scriptures that apply to my failures. But if you are like me, you too need to tell yourself, “Shut it, know-it-all!”
Rough Draft 