We may say of a young person who possesses wisdom, “he has an old soul.” Perhaps this is because we associate being wise with someone who is old and has experienced life. However, anyone can have wisdom if only they ask for it from God and the Holy Spirit. …If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).
To pick up from the previous post, The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Paul wrote to the Corinthians, For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit … (I Corinthians 12:8). This gift is given as the Holy Spirit seems fit for us, individually. See how Solomon described wisdom in Proverbs:
“For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And I find knowledge and discretion”. Proverbs 8:11-12
At a young age, Solomon knew the true wealth of wisdom, asking God for it rather than wealth. Because he asked for wisdom to rule Israel, God was pleased and granted it to him. To this day, Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived. In the Proverb above, Solomon also wrote that one who is wise will find knowledge and discretion. This knowledge isn’t referring to book learning, or all the knowledge one can accumulate from the Web, but knowledge of God. One who has wisdom also has discretion. A person who has discretion is able to see the whole picture of a situation, and be able to apply what is the best course of action. To have a true discretion, one must know the will of God in order to apply it as needed.
Solomon asked God for wisdom for himself as ruler of Israel, and Paul asks God for wisdom for the Ephesians. So too, we can and should ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom.
I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places… Ephesians 1:15-20
Wisdom is an interesting gift. It is given to us by the Holy Spirit, and yet we can also develop it by strengthening our relationship with God. The more we learn about Him and His ways, the more we grow in the gift of wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. We need to do our part in building our own personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. “It’s been said that ‘the conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime [Redpath, 2007].’ While the changes that take place are through the Holy Spirit’s presence and power, our cooperation is required as we activate His power by choices we make (Graham Lotz, 2019).” These choices include doing everything in our power to become holy people in all ways just as God is holy. But we don’t need to guess at what we need to do to become wise. God has supplied a wisdom manual in the book of Proverbs, which Solomon wrote, and which was inspired by the Holy Spirit. The purpose of Proverbs is clearly laid out in the first six verses of the book:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;
To give prudence to the naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion,
A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles. (Proverbs 1:1-6)
The purposes of wisdom are positive and encouraging. For most of us it will take more than a lifetime to gain the wisdom of Solomon. However, we can begin by reading the book of Proverbs and building a strong relationship with God, the Father, Jesus, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
As a teacher, I say, here’s to life-long learning!
Resources:
Graham Lotz, A. 2019. Jesus in Me: Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion. Multnomah, a division of division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
Redpath, A. 2007. The Making of a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 9.
