4 Ways to Get Wisdom
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
~ Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)
Wisdom is a capacity of the mind that allows us to understand life from God’s perspective. Throughout the book of Proverbs, Solomon encourages us to “get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:5). He says those who get wisdom love life (see 19:8); that it’s better to get wisdom than gold (see 16:16); and that those who get wisdom find life and receive favor from the Lord (see 8:32–35).
Yet in Ecclesiastes 7:23–24 Solomon also makes clear that getting wisdom is a challenging process: “ ‘I am determined to be wise’—but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound—who can discover it?”
Fortunately, Scripture provides us instruction in this area. Here are four Biblical instructions for how to get wisdom:
1. Fear God—Solomon says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10). But how should we fear God? Philipp Melanchthon, a collaborator of Martin Luther, discussed what it means to fear God by contrasting filial fear with servile fear. Filial fear is the type of respect and love a child has for a parent, a fear of offending the one they most adore and trust. In contrast, servile fear is the kind of fear that a prisoner has for his jailer or executioner.[1]
2. Desire wisdom—The second step to getting wisdom is to desire it with all our heart. As Solomon says, we must “look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4).
3. Pray for wisdom—As James tell us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
4. Study God’s Word—The fourth step in getting wisdom is studying and meditating on God’s Word (see Psalm 19:7). We shouldn’t rely merely on our own understanding, though, but lean on the wisdom and insight produced by Christians throughout the church’s history.
To get wisdom we must fear God, study his Word and prayer-fully desire to understand life from God’s perspective.
Heavenly Father, I come before you today to ask for wisdom. I know You know everything, so I submit my thoughts and understanding to You. I am your disciple, help me to transform my understandings to Your perspective. Your Word says that if we ask for wisdom You will give it freely and without limit. I understand that even in my wisest moment, it is nothing compared to Your most foolish thought. My perspective has only gone as far as I could see. Jesus, You have opened my eyes to see from Your perspective. Father, I respect You above all else and desire for You to teach me Your ways, which is wisdom. I know that Your wisdom is always pure, peace loving, considerate, full of mercy, and impartial. I ask Holy Spirit to teach my mind to always think in those ways because I know that is how wise people think. I also ask that You would bring wise people into my life and help me listen to them and accept their correction as I absorb their wisdom. In the end Lord, I know that wisdom is just thinking like You think and I want to be just like You. This is the desire of my heart. In the might name of Jesus, I thank You Lord that you have already given me wisdom. I have it now, Amen.In Jesus,
Chaplain Kenny
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[1] R. C. Sproul, “What Does It Mean to Fear God?” Ligonier Ministries, accessed January 5, 2015, http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-fear-god/.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Taken from NIV Lifehacks Bible.
Wisdom is a capacity of the mind that allows us to understand life from God’s perspective.
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