Lifted High

Lifted High

God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are, so that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:28-29 (AMP)

We think we are so smart. We have technology. We have our gadgets. Through our smartphones we can know what’s happening anywhere in the world in a matter of minutes. From the same phone we can read the latest bestseller, written, no doubt, by a very educated person.

Yet even though we know so much, my guess is many of us don’t know the right time to plant. We have not taken time to study the stars, only to stare up at them in wonder. We’ve missed being aware of the cool morning breeze, and we can’t tell by looking at a billowy cloud if it’s going to rain. We think we’re smart, but are we really smart about what matters?

The Amish have less education than most of the people in our country, yet they live debt-free and know how to be part of a thriving community. How do they know so much about the right things? This Amish prayer explains:

FULFILLMENT

Help me, Lord, to meet this day—

its challenges,

its changes,

its opportunities

to speak of Thee

whose loving care

arranges

each transient hour

I live upon this great

(though troubled) earth,

that when I kneel

at eventide

I’ll have been for Thee—

some worth!

God chooses those who are the lowest, those who get on their knees before Him and who trust Him more than their education. He chooses those who understand His workings more than they understand the workings of a smartphone.

We have no room for boasting once we understand that only turning to God will carry us through the challenges of the day. And coming before Him—seeking Him—at the start of the day brings more wisdom than any college scholar can obtain.

Dear heavenly Father, with You in me, the knowledge of the universe resides, and I have no doubt that though I am lowest, with You I have more than those who are considered greatest on earth.