WE NEED WISDOM
“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?” II Chronicles 1:10
After David died, Solomon became the king of Israel. The Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him, “Ask what I shall give thee” (II Chronicles 1:7). The words of our text record Solomon’s answer. He asked for wisdom. He knew his responsibility was great, his people were numerous, and his experience was minimal. He needed wisdom. God promised to give him wisdom, and Solomon became known as the wisest man of this world. Because Solomon asked for wisdom rather than riches, wealth, honor, or a long life, God was pleased. As a result of this, God not only gave him wisdom, but also He gave him riches, and wealth, and honor above all that came before him.
We all would agree that we also need God’s wisdom. The Bible says that, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). In an increasingly secular society, the wisdom of the world is influencing the Christian community. We do not need the world’s wisdom, but God’s wisdom. Solomon was motivated by the awareness of his own inadequacies to pray for wisdom. Our needs are equally great. We need wisdom for our lives. We need wisdom for relating to people. We need wisdom to be the kind of parent or spouse God wants us to be. We need wisdom to be the kind of employee or employer we are supposed to be. We need wisdom for our personal finances and decisions. We need wisdom to appropriately respond to our difficulties. We desperately need God’s wisdom.
We need to make the pursuit of wisdom a matter of personal priority. Because the Bible calls it the “principal thing” (Proverbs 4:7), it must become a serious priority to us. Of course, the greatest resource for wisdom is the Word of God. The Bible reveals wisdom for every area of our lives, either by direct teaching or by Biblical principles. It behooves us then to read and study the Scriptures, for therein wisdom is making itself known. Additionally, we are told in the New Testament to ask God for wisdom, knowing that He has promised to give it to those who request it. May the responsibilities of our lives motivate us to seek after wisdom.