Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Wisdom: having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right.
In a life-changing moment, God appears to a very young King Solomon and says,
“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 1 Kings 3:5
Boy, is this ever a loaded proposition. Our minds start to run wild with all the possibilities. I wonder if Solomon’s did too before he came upon the correct answer, or maybe God had prepared his heart for this very moment. No matter what the case may be, when it came down to it, he knew what he was going to need to fill King David’s shoes effectively.
“Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. . .So, give your servant a discerning heart. . . ~ Solomon; 1 Kings 3:6-9
A discerning heart=Wisdom.
Out of all the things that can be asked of God, a discerning heart perhaps is the most useful. Solomon knew he needed God’s wisdom to lead the people entrusted to his care. Good choice, considering he could not successfully rule over God’s people without God’s ways.
But Solomon is not alone when it comes to needing wisdom in life’s choices. It is essential to us, too. Jesus told us the following—
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
Our job may not be as complicated as managing a whole nation, but God’s wisdom will certainly come in handy towards living the way He knows is best.
Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7:8— “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” The beauty of belonging to God is we can seek His wisdom in all matters. We don’t have to guess about things. We have access to the best information there is available to navigate through life.
Don’t miss that little bit of James 1:5 that says, [God] gives to all generously and without criticizing. This may be important for some to hear. Let me say it again. If you lack wisdom, ask God for it. He gives it generously and without criticizing. He is not sitting up in heaven somewhere thinking, OMG, she should know this by now! He wants us to ask. He tells us to ask, promising He will deliver an answer to our question.
Towards the end of this passage in Matthew 7, Jesus concludes His thoughts about asking for wisdom and other applications for living well with this—
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24
Asking for wisdom is simply a smart thing to do. It builds a steady life through our reliance on God. It shows our confidence in His ways, and reaffirms our commitment to belong to Him. And when we belong to Him, discernment and good judgement are only a question away. Just ask.