The Way of Wisdom
God has a wonderful plan for your life. He does not want you stuck at a dead end job or miserable in your family relationships. He doesn’t want you frustrated with one fruitless season after another. In fact, he has a destiny for you to fulfill and a divine race for you to run. You were created to make a difference. You were designed to make a lasting impact and to bring about positive changes in the world around you.
You may be thinking, “I would like to live a life of significance but how can my life actually make an impact?” Many people are looking for some big break in life to propel them in the right direction. There are some practical things anyone anywhere can do to begin moving toward having an improved life that will multiply one’s personal happiness and their impact on the world.
Proverbs 4:5-7 NLT “Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
This passage says twice, “Get wisdom.” The understood subject is YOU. It infers that wisdom is available. We are the ones responsible to obtain it. Many people believe what they need is beyond them. They tend to value the question above the answer. There is a sense of forever chasing something that is unreachable. It reminds me of an Ancient Greek myth about Tantalus. He displeased the gods and was sentenced to stand in a pool of water beneath the fruit tree with low branches of fruit ever slipping from his grasp and the water below always receding before he could take a drink. But, we are not sentenced to forever seek for something beyond our grasp. Wisdom is available to you and me.
James 1:5 tells us that getting wisdom is as simple as asking God. This answer is often too simple for many. They think, it can’t be that simple. But many of the truths in God’s Word are just that simple. But if we minimize or overcomplicate the answer we will be just like Tantalus, with the answer just beyond our grasp. Just ask.
Proverbs 4:7a in the King James Version says, “Wisdom is the principle thing.” Or we could say it is priority number one. When a challenges come our way in life we must be careful not to focus on the problem. The thinking that created the problem is not the same thinking that will bring an answer to that problem. Often times looking away from the problem and backing away from the pressure of it is the last thing we want to do. We somehow feel that it is irresponsible to slow down long enough to pray and ask for wisdom before taking action. Whether the decision is major or minor make seeking wisdom from God the principle thing, and you will not be sorry. If you are choosing a career path or making a major purchase, God is interested in helping you with those decisions. He sees things you don’t see. He can see far into the future. He can alert you to unforeseen problems or give you the green light of peace.
Asking for wisdom and then getting wisdom by reading His Word are two very proactive, preventative principles to success in life. The best time to pray and seek for wisdom is at the front end of a situation. Doing so is proactive rather than reactive. Too many people are quick to offer up a prayer in the middle of dire straights. But what if they had made getting wisdom the initial priority before acting? God is so merciful he will hear an honest cry for help and begin to work when invited into a critical situation. But once a decision is made or a word is spoken, power has been released in that direction. It can take time for that decision or conversation to be turned around or redeemed. The best choice is to seek wisdom first.
You may be asking, what if I don’t have a clear answer? Too many people have been motivated by pressure rather than wisdom. Most of my good decisions were not the result of pressure. I find it is difficult to think clearly or see all the options available to me if I am dogged by pressure. In fact staying out of pressure situations results in great freedom. Pray and look for scripture passages that give answers to your situation days and weeks before the decision must be made.
What realms of influence are you currently involved in? Is it business, the medical field, education? We all have realms we are called to operate in. You and I are called to influence our family members, and our work associates. Furthermore, the future ahead of us is filled with people who will need answers to life’s questions. Learning to find those answers for ourselves through prayer and in God’s Word, will benefit our lives and theirs. Making wisdom the principle thing in life creates a well-spring of answers to life’s challenges. Then when questions arise there is something to draw upon. There is no greater way to live than Wisdom’s Way.
By Gwen Miller