| Ably
wise Part 2
Thinking about your wisdom as a help for your community
Many people find themselves propelled into activity and they discover they were much more capable than they first thought.
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Applied wisdom In the first article of this pair entitled “Ably wise” we looked at the passage from 2 Samuel chapter 20 and I picked out from it the general need in our community for God’s wisdom. In this second article I want to look more specifically at how the woman in the passage applied her wisdom to the situation which confronted her and see if there are some aspects of her wisdom that we can employ in our own communities. Don't forget to read the passage first! Something to say Learning from verse 17. The woman had something to say about the problem her community faced and she made sure she spoke to the right person about it. Is it possible for us to take an active part in solving the problems that our community may face? Some people certainly find it easier to become involved in change-making bodies or organisations than others. Time factors, personality factors and experience all affect what our capabilities are. You may not be a coal-face change-maker but you can certainly support those who are. You can keep yourself informed to pray for them. You can attend meetings. You can write letters. Many people find themselves propelled into activity by a tragedy which affects them personally and then they discover they were much more capable than they first thought. Keep yourself informed about local and community issues, many people find reading their local newspaper helps with this. Perhaps read it with a pen or pair of scissors to hand so you can remember articles to act on or pray over. Talk with people about local issues so you are informed enough to have an opinion. Find out who you could write to or speak to about issues in your community—speaking to just the right person can make such a difference and you may find your community leaders eager for advice and suggestions. |
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We live in a hurting world and many people need mothering. |
Past lessons Learning from verse 18. Are there good things from the past which will help people understand what needs doing now? Things change so fast these days and many good lessons get lost or left behind. Whether or not you have been in your community long you can get to know those who have many years of history there. Many older people are not able to get involved in community matters due to some form of frailty but they have a wealth of experience which can be of benefit in your modern day community. Learn from the past, particularly taking note of lessons learnt from failures. |
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Peaceful and faithful Learning from verse 19. Do people know you as peaceful and faithful? No one goes to unreliable people for advice and help. Your peace and faithfulness needs to be built on a firm foundation of Jesus Christ otherwise you may get drawn in and sunk by your community’s problems. Mother in Israel Further learning from verse 19. Are you a ‘mother in Israel’? Although the term in the passage referred to the city the same phrase can be applied to individuals. We live in a hurting world and many people need mothering. Are you the person for the job? Look for opportunities to say something when people have moans and complaints as they always do! Many people in our mobile society live away from their real mothers and would benefit from some wisdom near by sometimes. Are you in a position to offer help as a near-by mother would? The Lord's inheritance Further learning from verse 19. Troubles can swallow up the Lord’s inheritance. This was raised as an issue by the wise woman in our story. Do you see engaging with God’s wisdom and helping others as the Lord’s inheritance for you? An inheritance is what you receive from your father. Are you building up the Kingdom of your Father with the future in view; “Laying up your treasure in heaven” as New Testament scripture describes it? |
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Certainly make prayer your first priority when becoming involved in problems of your community.
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Root cause The whole city of Abel Beth Maacah was under military siege because of one man hiding there. The wise woman was able to find out the root cause of the problems for her people. Sometimes we do not understand why problems have come our way but there are things that we can do to find out as this wise woman demonstrated. Certainly make prayer your first priority when becoming involved in problems of your community. God may reveal to you spiritual as well as physical causes for the problem. I can tell you from personal experience that dedicated prayer can even eradicate the whole problem without doing anything else sometimes! Speak to people who are involved if that is appropriate, maybe you can be the “middle-man” or “catalyst” to broker a solution as was this wise woman in our Bible passage. Getting involved Further learning from verse 21. The wise woman was affected by the problems of her city even though she was not directly involved. She got involved and brought about a solution. Is there a part you need to play in bringing an end to the difficulties in your community? Issues may not be directly your problem but there may be benefit in a wise person, like you, becoming involved. |
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Many people re-visit problems and find it hard to leave difficulties behind. |
Putting an end to it Learning from verse 22. The wise woman generated a solution to the problem. There is a rather dramatic end to the problems in our story of treason in the Bible. Our modern lesson would be that we can trust God to bring a final and complete end to troubles we encounter. Many people re-visit problems and find it hard to leave difficulties behind even when the causal factors have been dealt with. Can you bring wisdom to help people to move on and allow healing in their lives? |
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