We often draw a direct link between personal knowledge and success. The more we know about something, the more likely we will be successful in that area. If I have knowledge and skill with computers, I will likely do more and better with them. The more I know about stock markets, the better chance I have of making money through investments. Though knowledge in these areas helps, it is not a sure thing. That’s why I have found the direct link between knowledge and success to be only half true. In areas where my knowledge can grasp the whole of the concern, it is mostly true.
However, what about areas where I can never grasp the whole of the concern- suffering, creation, healing, God, the future, the attitudes of the heart, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the effects of sin, the effects of holiness, peace, joy. In these areas, personal knowledge is very limited. Stretch the mind and study as hard as you can and you will still come up short in getting a completely successful grasp of the matter. I would say in these cases, that there is a better and more direct link between faith and success than knowledge and success.
Let me explain. If I believe that I can only achieve success in an area where I have great knowledge, then prayer is viewed as useless. Prayer, by its very nature, is an admission that I have limited personal knowledge, skill and power to change things. So, by faith I rely totally upon God’s ability to know and have adequate power and skill to change the situation since I am unable to change it. Prayer is an admission of a lack of knowledge, not a dependence upon my own knowledge. The only confident knowledge I have in prayer is of God himself and his pattern of behavior and responding to his people. It is not at all knowledge devoid of him. That is why even our subject matter in prayer is often for wisdom, God’s will, discernment and even to know how to pray; because "we don’t know." If this is the case, then people who pray often and with great power are constantly admitting their limitation. But, they are more likely to gain success in areas where knowledge and skill can never produce great results. So, there is something to saying, "I don’t know" and as a result, I must lean upon someone who does.
Some of the greatest moments in the Bible find people rewarded who confessed "I don’t know". The man who was born blind (John 9) said "he did not know" where Jesus was or really much about who he was (verses 12,25). But, he believed in Jesus as the Son of Man at first opportunity (verse 38). His knowledge was limited to "all I know is that once I was blind and know I can see."
The same is true of Mary Magdelene when she met the angels and was rewarded by being the first to see Jesus. She simply said, "I don’t know". In this case, she had no clue as to Jesus’ whereabouts- where the body had been placed. Or, there is Paul’s confession, "I don’t know", when telling the Ephesians that he was going to Jerusalem but had little knowledge of what would happen there. Of course, he became a great witness of Christ before Agrippa, Festus, Felix, the Roman leadership and guards in Jerusalem as well as being launched as the first great missionary to Rome.
There are many examples of people without clear knowledge, but great faith and they met with great success. Still, manh people are unsure how they can serve God well without great knowledge or skill. I have heard many new Christians concerned that they could not possibly do great works for God because they knew so little. "I don’t know the Bible well." I don’t have much church experience." "I don’t know what my spiritual gifts are." "I don’t know how to start a conversation about God with my friends." "I don’t know how to teach." And the list goes on. I often respond, "Great, now we know your limitations. That gets the presumption of your skill and pride of your knowledge out of the way. Let’s lean hard on God. That will likely get you farther down the road toward successful Christian servanthood than knowing it all."
In the most recent setting with our family, I find many people asking me what I think will happen or what is happening or what benefits will come from all we are going through. I have no problem saying, "I don’t know." This is among the dozens, maybe hundreds of things I don’t know. But, I have confidence in God. I don’t know. However, I know that He knows. That confidence in God’s love and power always translates into success in the issues that matter most.
Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am NOT saying that knowledge is bad. I am NOT saying that we should not try to know more about God and about life. I am NOT saying that ignorance is a good or acceptable standard of life. I am just saying that there is no shame in saying, "I don’t know." Because, every time I pray, I am coming to God as one who is unable to grasp it all and craft the right results. I don’t know, so I need Him to know and to reveal and to make sense of it all. The worst prayers are prayed by people who have it all figured out and just tell God what to do. The best prayers are prayed by people who humbly come before God, asking him to do what is best and asking him to allow us enjoy the surprises.
We’ll find some surprises tomorrow for Mitch. "I don’t know" what they will be. But, I can’t wait.