“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”— Romans 11:33
Think back to the last difficult situation you were faced with. Or even the one approaching. The uncomfortable conversation with a boss or employee. The painful discussion you needed to have with your family member. The awkward topic you decided to broach with your friend. How much sleep did you lose over it? How much worrying did you do?
How much prayer time did you devote to it? And if you said to God, “I trust you to give me the right words and soften the other person’s heart,” did you then go back to worrying about it?
Or how about this: You prayed, you trusted and you saw God do something amazing. Something you never expected. A third option from the terrible two you had only seen available.
Asking for Wisdom
I’m working on this concept constantly these days. Before going into situations that make me uncomfortable or ones where I might make a fool of myself (of which there seems to be many!) I’ve started praying for the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom. And to help me to know when to keep my mouth shut.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” — James 1:5
James was spot on when he wrote this Holy inspired advice. If you don’t know, ask God, who gives us wisdom. He gives us that wisdom from His ever-flowing fount of His own wisdom. A wisdom unmatched by any human being ever to have lived. He gave Solomon his renowned wisdom simply because he asked for it.
“And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.” — 1 Kings 3:28
King Solomon’s subjects stood in amazement at his ability to resolve difficult situations. His notable decision between two women claiming the same child revealed truth through an unexpected solution. He decreed the baby would be cut in half and each piece given to each woman. The real mother gave up her right to the child so the son would live. She pleaded for his life. Which told everyone to whom the child truly belonged.
Jesus’ Third Way
I’ve read that this type of resolution is called the “third way.” I warn you if you look up that term you’ll find some wacky political ideas and unfortunate progressive Christian theories. But hidden amongst those is Jesus’ “third way.”
What I mean by that is on at least four occasions Jesus was given an either/or question and he answered with a better, third option. For example, in John 8, when the Pharisees presented the woman accused of adultery to Jesus, He was tasked with deciding to stone her or let her go. It was a trap designed to reveal Jesus’ rejection of Moses’ law. Instead, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy.
“And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
It all ends with the men leaving in shame and Jesus forgiving the woman’s sin. He tells her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
Jesus reveals His “third way” wisdom when asked about taxes to Caeser, the healing on the Sabbath, the man born blind and more. His wisdom is shown in all its glory. Options, which after hearing about them, seem so simple. Yet how often does God’s wisdom surprise us?
Weak vs Powerful Wisdom
We often quote Proverbs 3:7 – Do not be wise in your own eyes – yet we fall back on our own weak wisdom almost daily. We forget to go to the fount and drink deeply. We miss the opportunity to see God at work in miraculous ways.
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” — 1 Corinthians 1:25
Throughout the Bible and even in our own lives, we witness weak, apparently ineffectual people being used to further God’s kingdom. David, the tiny son, chosen to lead a nation. Peter, the brash and excitable fisherman, who God calls as His rock on which to build the church. You and me – average people with average skills and influence who regularly make bad decisions – tasked to spread the Gospel.
How can this system ever be successful? Because God is the engine. His wisdom is the power source that lights up our conversations and opens hearts and minds.
That’s the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the people of the Colossian church when he writes:
“…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” — Colossians 2:2-3
Because of God’s wisdom, power and authority the Word of God comes alive and knits us together. His wisdom resolves conflict, distress and pain in our relationships. How can we not plug into that daily?
Trusting in Jesus is our third way wisdom. In our churches, Bible studies, home groups, communities etc, putting our allegiance to Jesus first. Loving each other despite our other differences and watching God work miraculously in each of us.
He Knows Better
Friends, my dad would constantly get stuck fretting over situations because he felt the need and burden to come up with the answers all by himself. I once tried convincing him to go to marriage counseling. He replied, “I know what the problem is already and your mom won’t go.” To which I replied, “You only know the solutions your limited thinking can come up with. Someone outside the situation with wisdom and experience will probably give you a better solution.”
But like so many of us, he just couldn’t get past being wise in his own eyes. And his married life continued to be a source of pain until the day he died. We do the same when we come up with our plan then maybe ask God to make sure it works. To pray that God fixes our difficult person the way we want them fixed.
Let’s make a commitment to trust that God is so much wiser than us. To pray for wisdom be given to us from His great fount. And sit back and watch His miracles and mysteries unfold.
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” — Revelation 7:12
Did you miss a 30 Days of Reverence post? Click here to see all of the ways we can revere our God and Savior!
Want more of God’s wisdom? Check out my series, 31 Days of God’s Wisdom today!