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 your faith is in God alone.

James 1:5-6

Let’s review what we have established about wisdom. First, it is knowing what to do with what we know. Acting in a just way on our knowledge.

Secondly, obtaining knowledge is as simple as asking God for it. He freely gives it with no judgment. The only stipulation? Your faith has to be in him alone. That means we can’t trust our selves or our own good ideas.

Third, if we reject wisdom’s offer to come and learn to live a disciplined and successful life, we will eat the bitter fruit of living our own way. Yikes!

Read: Proverbs 2:1-10

The reading passage yesterday ended with this encouragement: “But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

Maybe that sounds too good to be true, the stuff fairy tales are made of. I invite you to give it a run. After all, if your life is a mess and you have found yourself eating the bitter fruit of living your own way, it can’t hurt.

In the reading today, Solomon tells us how to get wisdom. Listen again: he says “cry out for insight,” search for them as you would for silver, seek them like hidden treasures.” Walking in wisdom isn’t something to dabble in when we feel like it or we get into trouble. It is a lifestyle.

It is understanding that my ways might not be all that impressive; my plans lack the 40,000 foot perspective that God’s plans include. Turning my heart to him and simply asking for wisdom to know how to act on what I know is all it takes. And he will show up.

A few years ago I took a teaching position at a small Christian school. Not only did I not have any formal teaching education, I did not have any experience teaching in a school. I had never made a lesson plan or a rubric or a grading scale. I was in over my head. The first semester I was at the school a couple days a week for chapel and to meet the students in an effort to develop rapport before I started teaching.

Second semester rolled around and more than once I was one my face in my office crying out to God for wisdom. And he always showed up. He calmed the sea, he led me into the classroom and I managed to make it through the first year. But it was a pretty sharp learning curve.

What are you experiencing right now? Could you use a does of heavenly wisdom? It is only one breath away and it is given without any judgment. Why don’t you ask him now?