Get Wisdom

     “Wisdom is the principal thing” is what David taught Solomon as a young boy. David wanted Solomon to know that seeking God’s wisdom was the most important choice he could make. Solomon learned this lesson very well. Solomon chose wisdom over all else.

     We should also make God’s wisdom our first choice. We don’t have to be like Solomon and wait for God to appear to us; we can boldly ask Him for wisdom today through prayer. God will grant our request. I never followed this practice as a youngster. I simply made the assumption that everything would go according to the plans I had in my own mind.

Sometimes, we have to wait on the promises of God. The people of Israel waited forty years in the wilderness for their promise. (Joshua 5:6) Remember that God’s timing is not our timing. While we sit and ponder on today, God has already seen today and has made provision for tomorrow. In fact He has seen a thousand tomorrows. We must learn patience. God may have seemed slow to the people of Israel as they faced persecution everyday and longed to be delivered. God is not slow. He is just not on our timetable.

     Patience allows God to work His perfect work in you, allowing trials to purify character and develop patience. We may never know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. If we remain patient through our rocky road experiences, we will find that in the end we will be much better and much stronger, ready to face the next obstacle. The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain, but we should have a positive outlook because of what trials can produce in our lives. James tells us to turn our hardships into a time of learning, knowing that tough times can teach us patience.

      We have to learn to rest in the Lord, committing ourselves to Him and not being anxious for anything. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to entrust everything to Him: our families, jobs, possessions—all to His control and guidance. There has to be a belief that He can care for us better than we can take care of ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us, never having anger, worry or fear. When these emotions (anger, worry and fear) take over, they can become very destructive. They reveal that we lack faith.

     When a person dwells on past problems, they will become anxious and angry, but if you concentrate on God and His goodness, you will find peace.