Wisdom
“It is a more valuable commodity than gold and gemstones, for there is nothing you desire that could compare to her” (Proverbs 3:15).
“The wisdom from above is always pure, filled with peace, considerate and teachable. It is filled with love and never displays prejudice or hypocrisy in any form and it always bears the beautiful harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17 NASB).
“And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and He will give it!” James 1:5
“In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.”
Proverbs 24:14 NLT
Proverbs 3:13, Proverbs 2:4–5, James 3:17
Wisdom is another word worth praying for. I don’t believe we can ever get enough of it. And it’s ours for the asking.
But do we want it?
I know I need it. I’m not a quick thinker. When confronted with anything I tend to clam up. I freeze and go blank. Time and time again I realize what I should’ve said after the fact. I’m ashamed to say that so many opportunities that God has given me throughout the years I have blotched up because of that. Again, prayer is the answer. I pray for wisdom and to be ready and prepared to answer anyone who needs an answer.
I do remember one time, several years ago we had visitors regularly come to our door. They were missionaries that shared the Bible out of context. I knew this but could not defend my knowledge. I took the pamphlet they gave me with scripture references and decided to be proactive. I took the pamphlet to the word of God. I looked up each verse listed and read them as well as the verse before and after. Before I did this I prayed for Gods wisdom and did He answer! I remember how Awesome that experience was. I read and prayed and wrote the verses and what they said. Every scripture listed as a reference on the pamphlet was out of context. I wrote the notes and verses to prove it. When I finished I took the brochure with all the notes and placed it under a shelf next to the front door. Handy for the next time our visitors came. It took longer this time for the visitors to come, but they finally did. And I was ready and waiting. With a smile on my face I grabbed the brochure and started sharing with the missionaries my findings. One of the missionaries was hanging on every word, while the other was stumbling over his words and finally gave up and said goodbye. What a blessing being able to share God’s truth and knowing and being filled with the Holy Spirit. No, it’s not a competition or a pride thing. It’s a joy and knowing Gods truth thing. It’s not about hate but about love, Gods love. Doing something like this in our own strength puffs us up, makes us angry, defensive, tense, and takes away from Gods truth, no matter what our intentions are. I should know, I’ve attempted things this way many times in my life.
I’ve had a stranger sit on my front porch step in the middle of the day, crying asking for Gods direction and help. I had to call somebody from our church to help.
I’ve had an ex coworker come to my home to ask what she should do about her married boyfriend. I froze and didn’t have the words I knew I needed to share.
I’ve had a stranger come into my backyard while I was hanging out laundry. During a casual conversation she was offended by my assumption that she was a born again Christian. I froze as usual and went blank.
Too many times this has happened.
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
Luke 12:35
My prayer is that we all pray for God’s wisdom in every thing as we live and work in this world. Let us pray for each other!