God's Holy Fire: 'Who Is Qualified to Give God Advice?'

Who else [besides God] has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?

— Isaiah 40:12-13 NLT

Key Thought

In Genesis 1, we find that the "Spirit of God was hovering over" the primordial deep waiting for God's word to bring the work of creation to completion. So when Isaiah talks about God as Creator, he refers to the Spirit of the Lord. As beings created by the Spirit of the Lord, we are finite. While we can understand many things about our created universe, there are many more truths about our universe that remain shrouded in mystery. The Spirit of the Lord doesn't need our advice. We are not his consultants. He is Creator, and we are the created. He is infinite and glorious; we are finite and fallen. But rather than feeling discouraged or unimportant, we should take heart that the Spirit of the Lord now lives in us as followers of Christ. The power of the Creator is alive in us. The wisdom of the One who made the universe is now available to us to help us know the way we are to live and to help empower us to live that way. He who holds the oceans not only holds us but also lives within us!

Today's Prayer

Father, you have told us to pray for wisdom, so I pray today for wisdom and discernment. Give me the wisdom to make decisions that bless my family and those with whom you have given me influence. Give me discernment to know how to plan and prepare for the opportunities ahead and to know how to react and respond both when things don't go well and when they do. I know that this wisdom and discernment will come from your Spirit who lives in me, so I commit to yield my heart to your Spirit's influence and leading. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

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About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.