Know Of What You Speak

"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"

Job 38:2 NIV

In the verse above, God is speaking to Job. In the prior chapter, Job was speaking about God and, in this chapter, God asks Job what knowledge he really has on these matters.  God goes on to tell Job to brace himself like a man because He now wants to ask him some questions. Following, God asks Job what he knows of the many things that God takes care of, is in control of, and created.

Speaking without knowledge seems to be a common occurrence nowadays. It doesn't have to be done while speaking to God. We do it to each other all of the time. Just yesterday, I was reminded of this. I was told a story a month or so ago. I have learned to take "stories" with a grain of salt and realize that, in most cases, they may or may not have happened exactly as it is being told. This was one of those stories. Yesterday, someone else referenced this story again. I asked them, "Is it true that 'this' happened on that day?" to which the person answered ,"Yes, it is true, but this is the reason why." The "reason why" that this new person referenced put the story into an entirely different light and completely explained why it occurred.

This is why speaking without knowledge will get us into trouble. It is easy to observe something or someone and determine that we know why they are doing whatever they are doing. It is much more difficult to truly know why, and we shouldn't rely on our own knowledge to figure this out.  If I feel I must speak on a matter lately, I try to preface it with "This is my opinion based on what I know right now.  There may be facts that I am not aware of that would change things." At least then, I am not appearing to know something I don't. Although, I am sure it would be best if I didn't speak on matters at all sometimes.

Today, Rick Warren tweeted "Maturity is knowing the difference between having something to say and just having to say something." It is the latter one that often causes us to speak without knowledge. It is enough that we do it with each other. This is something we should strive to avoid. It is not surprising though that, just like Job, we do it with God. How can we possibly know why He does or doesn't do something? God may choose to spiritually show us something, but we can never assume that we know as much as He does. He holds such a vast amount of knowledge regarding this universe that we have no understanding of at this point. Therefore, there are times we must simply realize He knows best even if it makes little or no sense to us at the moment.

However, one must note that the conversation between God and Job does show the compassion He had for Job. God understood that Job was in a difficult position.  God also understood the lack of knowledge Job had. Therefore, God was willing to enter into a conversation with Job regarding what his thoughts and opinions were. True, the conversation was more of a correction than an exchange of thoughts, but God took the time to show Job the "light" because He loved Job enough to do so.

Whether it be in your life or in your conversations with God, remember our knowledge is often limited more than we think it is. We must not assume we know something that we do not. When referring to others, always give the benefit of the doubt. When addressing God, never forget our humble position ON this Earth compared to His great position OVER this Earth. If we can do those two things, we may find ourselves in the middle of fewer conflicts.