Articles
Seeking Wisdom From Above
It’s easy to think you have all of the answers. Every person knows how to be the perfect mate before they get married. Every person knows what it takes to be a great parent before they have children. It’s especially easy to offer wise counsel and sage advice to others when you’ve never lived in their shoes. Perhaps that’s why Jesus warned about removing specks before beams (Matt. 7:3–5).
True wisdom is rooted in humility. The wise writer said, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2). Wisdom is gained by listening to others who are willing to share their experience and insight. The foundation of that is a humility that realizes others have more answers and greater experience. The wise writer also said, “Pride goes before destruction…” (Prov. 16:18). When one “knows all the answers,” they often end up understanding their shortcomings in the toughest ways possible.
The future parent who has all of the answers will come to a realization they don’t. Every parent has wrung their hands and asked, “What do I do now?” Every husband who knew the way to make his marriage perfect has questioned his understanding. Every wife who knew how to enrich her marriage has experienced situations where she felt like a failure. None of us has all of the answers. And even when we know the answers, we still make poor choices.
So what’s the answer? If life is so hopeless, do we give up? Do we stop trying? Do we resign ourselves to failure? Certainly not! Consider the teaching of the scriptures…
First, we must realize that we need wisdom. James said, “If any of you lacks wisdom…” (James 1:5). There must be an understanding that you need wisdom before you will seek it. Certainly the first step in this process is humility. We must be humble enough to say, “I am not as wise as I think I am.”
Second, we must ask for wisdom. Keep reading the words of James: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5). When was the last time you prayed for God to grant you the wisdom to make good choices? Was it a specific prayer? Did you believe God would answer that prayer? That last question is important. James goes on to explain in vv. 6–8 that many do not receive because they don’t have faith in their prayer. We must know with certainty that God is the answer to our lack of wisdom.
The wise man said, “wisdom is better than jewels” (Proverbs 8:11). We need to seek wisdom in all that we do. Start today.
