Talking Points with President Woodford: The Heart of Wisdom

Much has been sensationalized about the return of Jesus in our modern age. From countless predictions claiming to know the precise day and time of His appearing, to books designed to frighten with the fear of being “left behind,” to movies featuring secret comings and shadowy signs, there is much that misleads and deceives.

That is why we must be rooted—deeply, daily, and diligently—in the wisdom of God’s Word. Daily reading plans or the weekly lectionary readings of the church help give us focus. For example, each year the lectionary readings offer three harmonious perspectives on the return of Jesus. Consider the One Year readings:

Isaiah 65:17-25 describes the beauty of “17the new heavens and new earth” and the life that is unveiled when Jesus returns.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 describes the timing of the Lord’s return—sudden, unexpected, “2like a thief in the night.”

Matthew 25:1-13 describes the posture of Christians as they await that day—like the wise virgins (bridesmaids) waiting for the bridegroom in the parable, watchful and ready, “13for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Last September’s claims by South African Pastor Joshua Mhlakela—who confidently asserted Jesus told him He was returning on the 23rd or 24th—serve as a recent example of the continued false predictions. (Apparently Jesus was still deciding which day it would be when He allegedly appeared to him.)

Jesus knows the human heart and how foolish it can be. That is precisely why He tells a parable that speaks of wise and foolish virgins. He knows the foolishness that fills the world and infects the human heart. Instead, He calls us to wisdom.

And wisdom, you remember, is more than mere knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge rightly discerned, rightly applied, and rightly lived. Wisdom is the Spirit given and Word driven ability to distinguish the good, the true, and the beautiful in a world cluttered with the bad, the false, and the ugly.

That’s why Jesus calls us to wisdom. In fact, Scripture is rich with this theme. The whole book of Proverbs urges us again and again to seek wisdom, find wisdom, prize wisdom, and “keep wisdom,” promising that “wisdom and discretion will be life for your soul” (Prov. 3:21). In fact, wisdom was present in creation, Proverbs says, delighting in the works of God: “By wisdom the Lord founded the earth…by His knowledge the deep broke open.” (Prov. 3:19-20).

Thus, Biblical wisdom becomes the Christian’s compass as we await the Bridegroom’s return. False predictions abandon wisdom altogether. They lack knowledge, they lack humility, and, most dangerously, they lack the Word of God - an ugly combination indeed.

Which is why studying Scripture matters. It’s the foundation of a wise and watchful heart. By God’s Word, we are given not only minds of discernment but a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 teaches us to pray for precisely this: “12Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Then in the very next verse the psalmist prays the ache of every faithful soul: “13Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!”

Do you see it? Proverbs teaches us what wisdom is; the Psalms teach us how to pray for wisdom; and the Gospel teaches us how to live it—prepared, repentant, and resting in the mercy of Christ. Altogether they fill our lives with that which is good, true, and beautiful!

Therefore, we number our days not with panic but with peace—not counting down in fear like the “dooms-dayers” do, but counting up in faith. That is, we number each day one after the other, watching the number increase, seeing how it grows in grace rather than one that shrinks in fear.

This means each day is not a dread-filled deadline but a grace-filled gift. Day after day, you are given opportunity to live wisely, walk faithfully, and wait joyfully.

So you see, Biblical wisdom always brings with it goodness, truth, and beauty—a triple thread woven by the Spirit through the Word of God, into the fabric of your life until that final day when the Bridegroom Himself arrives.

But until then, we watch with wisdom, we wait with wonder, and we walk with the One who has victoriously won our salvation—Jesus Christ, our coming Bridegroom, our crucified Redeemer, and our risen King.

In Christ,