The wisdom of God

 The Wisdom of God

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom.

PROVERBS 9.10

Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.

PROVERBS 4.5

His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.

1 CORINTHIANS 2.10

If someone tells you, “Get some milk at the shop,” you know what you’re looking for and where to get it. But when we read the instruction in Proverbs to “get wisdom,” we’re left to wonder, what exactly is wisdom? And how do we get it?

Wisdom is knowing what the greatest goal is in any situation and the best way to achieve it. It’s different from knowledge, but you need knowledge to exercise wisdom.

Another way to describe wisdom is that it’s knowing the right and best thing to do with the knowledge you have. There are many people who are brilliant but foolish. And there are many wise people who are not well educated.

So how does a person get wisdom? The only way to get wisdom is to receive it from God. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you” (Jam 1.5). Real wisdom doesn’t come naturally. It is not something you are born with or can develop through study. It is supernatural. It is a gift from God. To get the wisdom of God, you don’t need a certain level of intelligence, education, or experience. But you do need humility and a hunger for God. When we realise how big God is and how small we are, we are convinced that we don’t have what it takes to make it through life on our own. And it’s only then that we’re ready to receive wisdom from God as a gift. So if you want to grow in wisdom, ask for it — beg for it. God has promised to give it to you when you ask.