"You Need Wisdom"

Long ago I went up for prayer from a guest speaker at a church. I wasn’t saved yet, but I was so ready for a word from God that would resonate deeply within me and give me much needed hope. The Australian pastor scrunched his face at me and said just three words, “You need wisdom.” I thought, that’s it? Don’t we all need wisdom? Where was my personal word from the Lord like what ministry He wanted for me? Maybe even a word of affirmation? I was disappointed.

Years later, I’m embarrassed to recall that moment I stood in front of a pastor with an immature, self-seeking desire to receive a pat on the back or the gift of ministry. I wanted to hear that I mattered to God—when in fact I mattered to Him before the foundation of the world. But it did resonate as I considered how much God and the sacrifice of His Son to redeem me from Satan’s slave market mattered to me.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

This “fear” is not terror or panic. It’s a reverent, humble respect which acknowledges who and what God is. The cornerstone of that recognition leads a person to Christ for salvation. To “fear” the Lord is to believe on Him. No wonder I needed wisdom!

The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil (Proverbs 19:23).

The fear of the LORD leads to life: Since the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, it wonderfully leads to life. If we want life, we should begin with this honor, reverent awe and submission to God.

The book of Proverbs is called wisdom literature. Proverbs is filled with practical instructions for life. Many proverbs contrast the wise with the foolish and warn against repeating foolish actions:

Proverbs 3:35: “The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools” (NKJV).

Proverbs 14:24: “The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly.”

Proverbs 15:7: “The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so.”

And the graphic Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”

Everyone makes mistakes, but the wise learn from their mistakes and take steps to avoid repeating them. The foolish may make the same mistake over and over again and never learn their lesson.

He who has it will abide in satisfaction: When we have and walk in the fear of the LORD, it leads to a life of satisfaction. The world, the flesh, and the devil want us to believe that a life founded on fear of the LORD leads to misery and bondage:

The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us” (Psalm 2:2-3).

But the opposite is true. It brings satisfaction and keeps us from a future of evil.

Will not be visited with evil: “When one lives a life of piety, the Lord provides a quality of life that cannot be disrupted by such evil.” (Ross)

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. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-8).

If any of you lacks wisdom:

Trials bring a necessary season to seek wisdom from God. We often don’t know we need wisdom until our time of difficulty. Once in a time of trial, we need to know if a particular trial is something God wants us to eliminate by faith or persevere in by faith. This requires wisdom.

In trials, we need wisdom a lot more than we need knowledge.

Knowledge is raw information,

Wisdom knows how to use it.

It’s been said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, but wisdom is the ability to put things together.

Let him ask of God: To receive wisdom, we simply ask of God – who gives wisdom generously (liberally), and without despising our request (without reproach).

“We are all so ready to go to books, to go to men, to go to ceremonies, to anything except to God… Consequently, the text does not say, ‘Let him ask books,’ nor ‘ask priests,’ but, ‘let him ask of God.’” (Charles Spurgeon)

God does indeed give liberally. “He gives according to his excellent greatness; as Alexander the Great gave a poor man a city; and when he modestly refused it as too great for him, Alexander answered, “The business is not what thou are fit to receive, but what it becometh me to give.” (Trapp)

Without reproach: “This is added, lest anyone should fear to come too often to God… for he is ready ever to add new blessings to former ones, without any end or limitation.” (Calvin)

Knowing God’s generosity – that He never despises or resents us for asking for wisdom – should encourage us to ask Him often. We understand that He is the God of the open hand, not the God of the clenched fist.

When we want wisdom, the place to begin and end is the Bible. True wisdom will always be consistent with God’s word.

The language here implies humility in coming to God. “It does not say, ‘Let him buy of God, let him demand of God, let him earn from God.’ Oh! No – ‘let him ask of God.’ It is the beggar’s word. The beggar asks an alms. You are to ask as the beggar asks of you in the street, and God will give to you far more liberally than you give to the poor. You must confess that you have no merit of your own.” (Spurgeon)

But let him ask in faith: Our request for wisdom must be made like any other request – in faith, without doubting God’s ability or desire to give us His wisdom.

“Do you believe that God can give you wisdom, and that he will do so if you ask him? Then, go at once to him, and say, ‘Lord, this is what I need.’ Specify your wants, state your exact condition, lay the whole case before God with as much orderliness as if you were telling your story to an intelligent friend who was willing to hear it, and prepared to help you; and then say, ‘Lord, this is specifically what I think I want; and I ask this of thee believing that thou canst give it to me.’” (Spurgeon)

Those words from that pastor still resonate with me as I continue to seek wisdom from the Lord for each new day.

Scheduled for release November 9, 2026, World Adoption Day.

This is the unfiltered story of Christine and John’s fight for a family. As they navigate the maze of disappointing fertility treatments, a parallel adoption pursuit starts to feel like a divine answer. But as one devastating road block after another jeopardizes the placement of a baby into their arms, they are often left with desperate prayers and tears.

A powerful memoir of tender faith and the miraculous journey to parenthood, The Adopted Son Who Almost Wasn’t will touch your heart and remind you that sometimes, the greatest blessings are born out of the toughest battles.

Seeking Advanced Copy Readers and launch team members.

www.christinerhyner.com