Spirit Wisdom & Understanding

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,...." Colossians 1:9-11 TNIV

Paul is once again writing in very long sentences. So we will take just this much of the thoughts presented to us, and then go on to the remaining in days to come, Lord willing. He is including Timothy in this letter, so he uses "we." They have not stopped praying for these dear believers, even though Paul has never met them, nor visited their fellowship. He however, has learned of their faith, love and hope expressed to and by others, so he is very diligent in his prayers for them.

However, these prayers are not just for their well-being (although Paul probably included that) these are prayers for them to enter into a dimension of relationship in the Lord that they did not already have. Notice he said, "We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the spirit gives,..." . The word used here for "knowledge" is full-experiential knowledge. It is a knowledge gained by continual fellowship in the God-Head. It is not just the knowledge of His will in written form nor just what they have been taught by others. This word indicates that Paul is praying for them to enter into such an intimate relationship in the Lord that they possess a full "understanding of His will through all the wisdom and understanding the Spirit gives."

This is a relationship in Spirit that intertwines their lives in the fellowship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Notice that wisdom is given first. If we trace all examples of where these two words are used together in Scripture, we will find that most of the time "wisdom" is mentioned first. That is because true Spirit "wisdom" is given before knowledge and understanding and those latter two are based on a reception of the wisdom of God. It is given in fellowship, then comes knowledge and understanding. In our worldly understanding wisdom is always the last thing. In the Spirit, it is the first thing. I refer you to Proverbs 2 as a beginning place to notice the order of these things.

Wisdom is God's gift to us and is a gift in relationship to those who seek, it is essential to truly know and understand anything the Lord says. Often in our learning, we expect to learn then understand, then maybe, come to wisdom. This is the world's way. However, in the Spirit (Biblically) the last is first in this case. We all know (or maybe were ourselves at one time) people who read, study and pray, but never seem to come to wisdom through the knowledge possessed. They do not bear much personal fruit in Kingdom ways.

One of the possible reasons is this very order which comes when we seek Him first and foremost. When the Lord is our reason for life, not just the author of it. As we worship, adore and allow that to translate into relationship shared, we begin to enter another dimension in Him. By the way, there are always more dimensions to be experienced and possessed. We never run out - He is infinity itself.

As Paul prays for this, then we know it has not yet been seen among them. This is not one of the "automatics" in Christ. Much, much is automatic, but this dimension of relationship is not. So as we continue our study let's allow a new dimension to enter our hearts and begin to seek and expect these matters to illuminate us in His nature.