Proverbs 9:10–12

If honest, most of us should admit we live with a serious shortage of what God calls wisdom. How often have you and I “gone it alone” while deciding, planning an event, determining a course of action, or developing a strategy for intervening in someone’s life? I’ve lost track of the times I’ve gone off half-cocked and responded to a difficult situation out of pure emotion rather than a profound sense of sensibility or restraint. Both of those virtues come from God. Put together, they spell W-I-S-D-O-M.

Solomon wrote:

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. (Proverbs 9:10–12)

When bringing about plans, making decisions, or solving life’s challenges, we must intentionally resist the temptation to fall back on common sense or trust even our instincts. How much better to pursue God’s best and seek His divine direction by asking for and embracing wisdom from above!

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:5–8)

What practical steps can you take today to seek the Lord’s wisdom for what you may be facing? Bow your head and ask Him for what you need. He will be faithful. I promise. More importantly, He promises!

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Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord...Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.