God Only Wise

On this Lord’s Day Sunday, we are ushered straight into the unfathomable wisdom of our Heavenly Father, Lord and Sovereign: The Only Wise. In the great Standard by Walter C. Smith, Immortal Invisible, we sing these words with gusto and pride about our unmatched God.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

The God whom we praise is Supreme in wisdom, Almighty in wisdom and Surpassing in wisdom, for He is the All Wise. Let’s bask for a bit, with unashamed honour, glory and praise to Him whom we worship and serve. We bask fully as we receive these Bible verses.  

We receive this from Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope, as he writes to Timothy, his own son in the faith, and to you and me also, his children in the faith. He pours down, in blessings upon Timothy and us: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Timothy 1: 2b. It is as he pours out blessings that he veers off, almost transfixed, into loudest praise, respect, laud and honour to God. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1: 17. Yes, you can well imagine how these words of Paul would have inspired Mr. Smith, a believer from the mid-eighteen hundreds, to write such a hymn. Note how it is forever fresh, new and true, to many of us, as we proudly sing to God’s honour.

Now here is Jude, servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, writing, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. Jude 1: 1b. We also receive this doxology from all Jude says, because we believe and accept by faith, as believers and servants of Jesus.  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the one only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1: 24 – 25.

It is in this Wise God that we stand firm. It is to this Wise God that we look unto. It is with this Wise God that we move forward. What do we know about God’s wisdom? Whether much or little, this we know with unchangeable surety. Here, I am delighted and most privileged to bring to you words of Paul, which we all know and which we ought to all be living, giving and showing.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks, foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1: 22 - 25

During this week, we will be most awed, blessed and totally astounded by the wisdom of the Only Wise, in using what many of us see as foolishness, madness, unsound and simply child’s play, to teach His unsearchable riches to us.

We are being taught our Lord’s wisdom from nursery rhymes.

O yes! You heard correctly. This curiously different week will come through nursery rhymes.

Father of everlasting grace, we bow before You, for who You are. You are the Only Wise. You are the only One to take the foolishness of the world to confound all who hold to worldly wisdom and thinking. Amen!