David Dunn’s new song “Starting Now” (lyrics below) is about the uncertainty of the human experience and how the beginning of wisdom (truth seeking) is found in the admission, “I don’t know”.
After all, only God really knows. Only God is in control. He is the only true source of wisdom. The only way for us to become wise is to listen to Him, to submit to his authority, his teaching, and his ways.v
Humans love to know things. When we see variant news reports, we often rush to a definitive conclusion even as we struggle to discern who is telling the truth.
Life is big and mysterious and complex. It is too difficult for us to comprehend. We need an interpreter.
The beginning of wisdom is an acknowledgement that wisdom comes from outside ourselves. This is a frightening and vulnerable thing to express. We don’t know. We may never know.
Life is not about accumulating knowledge. A full grasp of the truth is elusive amongst all of the noise and our imperfect filters.
The call on our lives is not ease or comfort or perfect knowledge. It is faith. And trust. There is no end road to our growing, no finish line for our certainty to put up its feet and take it easy. We need God.
To gain the wisdom God promises, we must start with acknowledging it is not something we can attain without our Heavenly Father. As one of the three things we can control, whom we trust makes all the difference in our world. Admitting we don’t know is wildly powerful because it lays the foundation for meaningful faith.
I wish that I could find a way
To answer every question
I wish that I could see the world
Without interpretation
All I know is I don’t know
And maybe that’s the best place I can start
How can I find the truth
Through the fog of these opinions
How do I navigate
Through a sea of indecision
All I know is I don’t know
And maybe that’s the best place I can start
Starting now
I’m gonna trust when I have doubts
Don’t have to have it figured out
Father father father father
Maybe that’s what faith’s about
Typically I won’t admit
That I could be mistaken
Building up the arguments
To back up my positions
But I’m learning to let go
And maybe that’s the best thing for my heart
Starting now
I’m gonna trust when I have doubts
Don’t have to have it figured out
Father father father…
“Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
– Proverbs 9:9-10