I Know! I Know! Or Do I? | AllWorship.com

Many people today think they know something as fact because they have a thought. They don’t. This misunderstanding is becoming increasingly common on social media. It is becoming so in real life as well.

When (IF) they discover that they don’t know what they think they know, they may look something like the image above–that is, if they have the capacity to recognize it. Some, sadly, are no longer able to do this.

Dr. Michael Guillén, a distinguished professor in physics, mathematics, and astronomy, released a book in 2021 titled Believing is Seeing. In it, he shares his journey from atheist to Believer and how science brought him to the truth that God exists and is exactly who He says He is. (Good read; I recommend it.)

He also shares a startling statistic: less than 9% of the population today can distinguish fact from opinion. I see it every day. You too, perhaps? Behavior that began on social media is now seen in offline (in-person) interactions in everyday life. This is how it happens:

A thought flies into someone’s head with no basis in fact. They, thinking their thoughts are true, spit them out online. Someone sees/hears it and then repeats it as fact. And the cycle never ends.

This is doing great harm! Lives have been ruined by the reckless behaviors of foolish, undiscerning, and sometimes ignorant people (and I did not stutter when I said that). I’m confident that most TS readers recognize this egregious (really ugly) behavior as well.

I said this to “set up” an important point in today’s Scripture passage. When Jesus gave the disciples an instruction, they immediately responded by asking Him for clarity. They did not assume they knew, nor did they assume that their thoughts were Jesus’ thoughts. Rather, in wisdom and humility, they asked for clarity.

Therein is an important lesson for us. When God gives us a task to do or we feel compelled or impassioned to do something, it is wise to “cool our jets”, wait, and listen expectantly for further clarity from Him before we act prematurely or impose incorrect or damaging opinions on others.

To respond to God by taking matters into our own hands is arrogant, presumptuous, and very disrespectful to Him. Don’t do it! Wait. Ask.

None of us is an expert in God’s doings because we do not know enough to think for Him. Even when people claim the Bible as the basis for their opinions, they are still only opinions. Another author I greatly respect is Dr. R. T. Kendall. He says that what most claim as Biblical truth is actually only their INTERPRETATION of what the Bible says. Correct and wise to recognize this, he is. And we would be wise to recognize that interpretation is, in most cases, opinion.

Remember this, my friends: Opinion–yours or mine–is not fact now, and it will never be JUST BECAUSE WE THINK IT. There is only One opinion that is the absolute Truth and we are not Him.

Change begins with awareness. Let’s therefore be more aware and willing to see our thoughts and opinions for what they are and be humble enough to submit them to Him and ask for clarity and wisdom in what we perceive to be His will, direction, purpose, or task for us.

Don’t be part of the 9% … perhaps by now 8%, 7%, or even lower. God is still God. He is still Omniscient. He still knows everything and always will. We won’t, and we don’t. THIS is a fact, of which we should always be aware.