The Power of Wisdom: How God Helps Us Make the Right Choices

Have you ever felt as if you did or said the wrong thing? Maybe you found yourself going over and over a particular situation and asking yourself why you reacted the way you did. If this is the case, you are not alone. Most of us question our actions from time to time. 

How do we know what God expects of us? Where do we even begin our search to answer this question?

In James 1:5 we are given a very simple yet profound instruction. 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

That one statement tells us exactly where to begin our search. We are to go to God and ask from Him the wisdom to live our lives in a way that honors Him, shows love to others and teaches us how to act or even react.

While we continue to pray throughout our lifetime and ask God for this valuable gift of wisdom, there is another resource we can go to, the book of Proverbs. 

Proverbs 4:7-9 gives a glimpse into the book of Proverbs and why it was written.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

The book of Proverbs focuses a great deal on the topics of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and correction. These all go hand in hand. As we gain more knowledge about wisdom, we learn how to apply it to our lives and actions through understanding. It is through this understanding we allow God to correct us and help us pursue His ways with a humble and willing attitude.

In the book of Proverbs, depending on which interpretation you use, the words “wisdom” and “wise” are used over 200 times. The concept of wisdom is an overall theme of the book. The word understanding is also used quite often, approximately 160 times. The word knowledge is used 80 times.

By taking our time and reading through the instructions of Proverbs we can find the underlying theme of wisdom and how to apply it in our lives. Studying the subject of wisdom and its companion character traits gives us a foundation to build on.

When we learn to apply the wisdom of God in our lives, we can begin to fulfill the instructions in 2 Peter 1:5-7.

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”

It is through wisdom, knowledge, understanding and correction that we can allow ourselves to develop these character traits Peter finds so important.

No one is perfect. We will all do or say something we later regret. However, when we strive to focus our efforts on reflecting the qualities of God through the wisdom He provides, we can begin to not only develop these attributes but to also have the knowledge and understanding that doing so reflects the love of God.