When You Need Wisdom
“Oh Lord, I don’t know what to do!”
Ever prayed that prayer? Yup. I’m betting you, like me, have prayed that very same prayer thousands of times. Whether you have job-related decisions, financial decisions, parenting decisions, or health decisions, uncertainty abounds. The more complicated life gets, the more we feel a desperate need for wisdom.
When challenges come and we desperately need wisdom, it’s easy to panic and forget that God is at work. Our hearts ask a million questions, and we obsess over which is the right decision. Instead, reflect on God as the source of all wisdom, turn to the Word of God, and then praise God for being the giver of generous wisdom.
Reflect on God as the Source of All Wisdom
At the very end of Romans 11, the Apostle Paul wrote this beautiful doxology of praise to the God of all wisdom, “Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths are beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:33-36). Next time you need wisdom, get alone with God, sit quietly, and simply reflect on God as the infinite source of all wisdom.
Turn to the Word of God
The Psalmist writes, “Your word, Lord is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). Whenever I feel unsure of what to do, I turn to the scriptures. The Word of God is eternal. As I read His Word, I look for patterns and themes in what I am reading. Often the Holy Spirit uses those patterns to show me how to move forward.
Praise God as the Generous Giver of All Wisdom
God is not only the source of all wisdom, but He promises to give wisdom to those who ask: “If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). I love that God doesn’t find fault with us when we need wisdom and that He promises to give generously. As I praise Him for being the generous giver of wisdom, the Holy Spirit brings my heart into union with God’s heart, and oftentimes, I then know what to do to move forward.
“Lord Jesus, I praise You for being the God of all wisdom. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in You. I praise You that You promise to give wisdom when I have none. Right now, Lord Jesus, I need wisdom for ________________________________ (write in the blank the situation for which you need wisdom). I praise You that I can trust you to direct my decisions. Fill me with your Spirit, I pray, as I lean into You. Show me the path of wisdom that honors You. I praise You that even when I don’t understand Your ways, You are working. Thank You that I can trust You. Help me to relax in Your presence today, fully assured that You will give me the wisdom I need for every situation.
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