1. Wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7).
When God told King Solomon to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:7–12). Living in the shadow of his father, King David, he asked for the one thing that really touched the heart of God, Heaven-sent wisdom. When God saw that Solomon’s heart was filled with a desire for wisdom, He gave him the wisdom he asked for, as well as extreme riches that he did not ask for.
2. Do not confuse wisdom with knowledge.
Knowledge is “knowing things”; wisdom is “knowing what to do and when to do it.” We have all met people who are extremely intelligent, but the actions of their day-to-day lives are extremely foolish. It is impossible to navigate the Christian life without knowing what to do and when to do it. We cannot be successful spouses, parents, employers, or employees without having this wisdom. We can rely on our own best efforts, or we can rely on God’s magnificent wisdom.
3. Wisdom brings happiness.
Proverbs 3:13–15 explains, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom.” If you want to be happy, you need to obtain Heaven-sent wisdom. Given the choice between wealth and wisdom, always choose wisdom. Seeking happiness by following the way of the world is a catastrophic choice. True happiness is found only by seeking divine wisdom and living the lives God has designed for us.
4. We must acknowledge that we lack wisdom.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask.” The word lack here means “to be destitute,” not “to be just a little short.” We must be honest with ourselves and with God. We must admit that we simply do not know how to raise our children or manage our careers without God’s divine help. In most cases, people who are highly talented, gifted, or experienced have even more trouble asking for God’s help. Our prayer must be, “God, I admit that I lack. I must have Your wisdom because I do not know what I am doing.” While the world encourages us to believe in ourselves and trust in what we can make of ourselves, God’s Word commands us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, thereby acknowledging our lack (1 Peter 5:6). We must never get comfortable living without Heaven-sent wisdom.
5. We must ask God for wisdom.
When we ask God for wisdom, God promises to give us a generous portion of it. He will give us even more wisdom than we need. Furthermore, God promises that He will never find fault with us for asking for wisdom. He will never say, “You seem weak for asking.” We should ask God to give us wisdom for the specific situations we encounter day by day. In every situation of life that we encounter, we should ask ourselves, “Do I care enough about this to ask God for His help?”
6. We must exercise faith when we ask for
wisdom.
In salvation, we exercise faith and ask God to save us. In our day-to-day lives, we must exercise faith in asking God for wisdom. We can’t be fickle, thinking, “Maybe God will give me wisdom; maybe He won’t.” That kind of thinking is unstable. Stable, Bible-based thinking is remembering that we are part of God’s family, and our loving Heavenly Father wants to give us wisdom. It is tragic for a wife to look for leadership from an unstable husband who is not asking God for wisdom, or for a child to seek guidance from a parent who is comfortable living without God’s wisdom.
7. Wisdom impacts our daily lives.
When we choose to seek God’s wisdom, it improves our relationships. Heaven-sent wisdom makes us better parents, better children, better employers, and better employees. When we are filled with God’s wisdom, our actions will manifest the fruit of the Spirit, “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23).
Christian, have you asked your
Heavenly Father for wisdom today?