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“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NASB)

“Lord, what can I do about that?”

“Jesus, how did that happen?”

“Lord, why would he do something like that?”

“God, what can we do to help them?”

How many times have we asked God questions like these? When we find ourselves face to face with a circumstance we don’t understand, James tells us how we can receive answers to our questions like this. We can seek the Lord and allow Him to guide us through. Sometimes, we have to leave them with God and let Him work them out. The practice of asking God to provide answers to our questions requires us to develop the habit of prayer and recognize who He is.

I am drawn to the passage, 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” We have the privilege to give Him our concerns because of His great love for us. When we walk with God, we pray and listen to Him and gain wisdom in how to travel through this life.

Solomon asked for a discerning heart to govern God’s people and to know right from wrong (1 Kings 3:9.) Because of his request, the Lord chose to grant Solomon three things—riches, long life, and wisdom.(1 Kings 3:11) He is reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived.

King Solomon wrote some thought-provoking tenets:

·”the advantage of knowledge is this: wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:12)

A person of God who chooses to act wisely makes choices that help make for a better, easier life.

·”Wisdom brightens a man’s face and changes its hard appearance.”

(Ecclesiastes 8:1)

Have you seen someone who beams when she smiles? A particular friend of mine has a beautiful smile that tells me that God has heard her prayers and that He has talked to her.

·” . . . wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”

(Proverbs 2:10)

When we trust the Lord and look at the events of our world, we can see those events with His eyes. We will not fear our circumstance.

·It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.

(Proverbs 11:12, NLT)

Solomon tells us here to not speak badly of those around us. He contrasts the behavior of a foolish person and a person who is wise. These words tell us that when we berate our neighbors, we show our lack of wisdom, maybe our lack of caring for them. In order to achieve peace in our world, we should learn to follow Christ’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

·”She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

(Proverbs 31:26, NIV)

We all have read of the Proverbs 31 woman. When we read of her, we might gloss over this attribute of hers. In my reading on this passage, I have been told that the woman described here is a composite of several women.

As I reflect on this passage, I believe the lady described here is mature and has learned a lot of life lessons.

·”Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” (Proverbs 31:13-14 NIV)

I once ran across a question in a study Bible I had. The question went something like this; “What would you rather have a good Bible study or $100,000? I shared this question with a friend. We decided that even $100,000 would come to an end but a good Bible study lesson would stay with a person. I believe that wisdom would also stay with us.

"Point of Reference" from Fred Price

Counting the Cost and Bearing the Cross