Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 HCSB
It’s never advantageous to be unwise, but it seems especially perilous these days. For this reason, I am so encouraged by the promise in James 11:5 – if we ask God for wisdom, He’ll give it to us.
Wisdom is More than Knowledge
Facts and smarts will only take you a short way down the road. A parrot can be taught to recite facts and figures. A toddler can soak up whole languages in a relatively short amount of time. Knowledge can be impressively displayed, but it isn’t wisdom.
Wisdom marries knowledge with a purpose. It connects two different ideas to form a solution. And most amazingly, it sparks revelation.
Martha talked about this very thing in her post on Monday. She said, “The answer started to unfold from this verse: ‘For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he’ (Prov. 15:28 NKJV).” Martha’s need led her to cry out to the Lord, who gave her wisdom. And that paved the path to a life-changing revelation that Martha shares in great detail in August’s Message of the Month, The Secret to Facing Life. (It is AWESOME!)
Facts and figures alone don’t change lives. But wisdom does.
God-given Wisdom Packs a Punch
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luke 21:15 KJV
When God gives me wisdom, it doesn’t just change my life. It can be imparted to those who hear it, and it can disarm those who hate God and, by extension, me. I’ve gone back to listen to a message called The Unknown Weapon of War that Martha recorded last year. It’s such a potent reminder of our need for this divine prudence.
Everywhere I look, there’s a massive need for wisdom and precious few people who seem to be asking for it. I really need it in order to move through this increasingly murderous world, and so do you. And we are promised that it’s there for the asking, because our God “gives to all generously and without criticizing.”
Thank you for this admonition Jennifer. Bless you all.
Oh my, I am so needy for God’s wisdom in my life and living. I will listen to my, “The Unknown Weapon of War” again. You are right on “It’s such a potent reminder of our need for this divine prudence.” Love your tracking that HIS wisdom doesn’t just change your life but can be imparted to all who have ears to hear. The Spirit knows when I need a word and HIS promptings and sharing of HIS secrets always come through these posts. BLESS YOU LORD and All of you Shulamites.
Love and appreciation to you all.