Suppose one day you were with a friend and you see something bright in the distance… something on the other side of the mountain. It catches your attention and you think, “I must go see what this is.” So, you and your friend begin the trek up the mountain. You begin the steep climb but not too far into the journey, you get winded, your legs begin to ache, and a thirst ravages your body. You continue for awhile but eventually, you think… “Okay, I’m good. I don’t want to keep going.” So, you stop pursuing it. Your friend keeps going on and eventually reaches the light. She comes back with an amazing story. In fact, it changed her dramatically. Now, you wish you had kept going.
Solomon was anointed king of Israel after his father, David, had died. David was a GREAT king and filling his shoes seemed an insurmountable task. Solomon cried out to God… “Help! Lord!” God said, “Solomon, ask whatever you want and it will be yours.” Solomon asked for wisdom. And God granted him GREAT wisdom. It was so amazing that he wanted everyone to know that it really was the greatest gift. He said, “Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!” It’s still an awesome gift and in the day we live, wisdom is absolutely so needed.
Sadly, wisdom can be hard to find in the church today. Knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is rare. Knowledge is the information you have learned, while wisdom is the ability to use that knowledge in a profound way. So, knowledge is a part and wisdom is the whole. Wisdom goes beyond learning facts and includes making sense of those facts. Wisdom puts knowledge into practice.
We live in a day of great apostasy (people leaving the faith). Young people are deconstructing their faith… questioning everything they’ve been taught. We are up against some wacked out theology in the church, multitudes of false teachers, great deception, and an enemy who is a master at disguising himself as an angel of light. Christians are arguing, hurting each other, and leading many astray. This is why we desperately need wisdom. Wisdom helps us to discern right from wrong, leads us on the pathway of righteous behavior, and gives us insight into difficult situations. Wisdom is our anchor in a world that is always changing and cultural ideologies that are putting unbelievable pressure on churches and the Christian.
Solomon says that getting wisdom is the wisest thing we can do. This tells us that we are not born with wisdom nor is it passed on to us. It’s not automatically given to us at salvation. Wisdom is something we need to seek after. It’s a valuable gift we should seek to open. So, where do we get wisdom? The Bible tells us that the primary way we get wisdom is by learning the Word of God. The psalmist writes in Psalm 119:130: “The teaching of your word gives light.” Hence, the more we study the Word of God, the more we will have wisdom. As I ponder this message today, I’ve decided to ask God EVERY DAY for wisdom. I will continue to seek after it so I won’t be deceived or led astray. I need wisdom to navigate today. You do too.