I know nothing!

Ever wished you knew less than you do?

When W pastored, we agreed that he would tell me only things that concerned me. That gave me freedom to chat with everyone in the foyer or on the phone, ignorant of church politics and gossip.

We spent a wonderful season at another church that seemed to be in great shape. "Dear God, please don't let me know what's going on behind the scenes," I prayed when we arrived.

Sadly, we soon found out more than we wanted to know. It confirmed that knowing less is usually better, and that every person in the pew or behind the pulpit is broken and fallible.

Some of us think we know more than we do. A friend recently remarked how obviously arrogance and humility showed up in graduate-level papers he was grading. The humble? "Those still learning." The arrogant?  "Those who think they know everything about the subject."

At the end of this degree––probably the end of my formal education––I admit that I know less than ever. My narrow focus of study is clearer but the world got bigger and smarter while I was buried in paper and blinded by my computer screen. The best scholars know they are further ahead in some ways and much farther behind than when they started.

Scripture promises us the illumination we need. Thank God!


Read more:

*The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom. Proverbs 15:33

*One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

*The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry. Matthew 21:14-15 

*Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him. 1 Corinthians 8:2-3

Moravian Prayer: Father, you know us and love us still. Grant us the courage to serve you and the wisdom to choose your path.

Gentle Physician who cures the blind and lame, we give praise and honor to you. We magnify your name by telling the world of your works. Help us to serve you by serving others in your name. Amen.