Years ago, when I was much younger and was just starting to think about treating my faith as my own, this was one of the first Bible passages that I clung to. I was coming to realize for the first time that I was an individual Christian rather than merely a son of two Christians, and with that the immensity of God, the density of Scripture, the complexities of the world’s evil, and the demands of righteousness began to weigh heavily upon my young, immature mind. I resonated with King Solomon. Since then, I have been constantly, vehemently praying to the Lord for wisdom.
Solomon is Scripture’s best spokesperson for telling us about wisdom. Throughout his writings, he teaches us that wisdom goes far deeper than mere knowledge or even intuition; wisdom is the ability to think the way God thinks, in every situation. This means we’re able to discern what is right and what is wrong, no matter how difficult, complex, or demanding the situation might be. But this discernment is just the tip of the iceberg of wisdom. The wise person cares most about the things that are worth caring most about; they are humble about their own ignorance and honest about their own errors; and they recognize that the universe is too immense and deep for their minds to ever fully grasp, but are equipped to face it all as it comes. But even that’s not the beginning; as Solomon writes, these wise ways of thinking all have their root in the love and fear of the Lord. We act rightly, because we discern rightly, because we think rightly, because first and foremost we fear rightly.
What do you find yourself praying for most often? How often do you pray for wisdom? Requests for wisdom are one of God’s favorite things to hear from us, and he loves to grant those requests just as much. All of us have plenty of growing in wisdom to do; in fact, the more we grow in wisdom, the more we realize how much wisdom we still lack! But to learn wisdom is to better appreciate God's glory and to be true ambassadors of his goodness throughout the world. In all things, let us pray for wisdom, seek wisdom, and act with wisdom.
