Asking and Applying

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:7-10)

Yesterday, we started talking about what steps are necessary if you want to make wise, godly decisions. We learned that first, you must admit you need wisdom. Today, I want us to look at the other two steps we must take if we want to be wise decision-makers.

The second step is ask for wisdom. Understand that the reason that Solomon asked for wisdom first and then knowledge is that wisdom is the ability to take the knowledge that we gain and use that knowledge to make wise decisions that will be best for us and best for those who are impacted by our decisions.

One of the marks of wisdom is being wise enough to realize that knowledge alone is not enough to make wise decisions. Wisdom is knowing there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. We must learn to make this differentiation if we want to be wise.

All of that to say, if you want wisdom, you can do exactly what Solomon did. You can ask for it. You don’t have to be a king to need wisdom and you don’t have to be a king to get wisdom. The same deal God made with Solomon He will make with you, for He wants you to be wise and to make wise decisions.

The third and final step we must take if we want to make wise decisions is we must apply the wisdom God gives us. Solomon did not ask God to make him smart enough to make a living. He asked God to make him wise enough to make a life. The word that is used for “wisdom” literally means “skill.” It is used in the Bible often to describe people who are skilled in working with their hands. God gives you wisdom not so you can show others how much you know, but so you can show others how to live otherwise.

That brings us to the definition of wisdom. Wisdom is seeing life through the eyes of God and living life in the will of God. And where do you find this wisdom? And how do you discern His will? The great news is God’s will and wisdom is found in His Word. That is why getting into God’s Word daily is so important to making wise decisions. If we’re going to live life God’s way, we need to know what that way is and apply it to our everyday lives.

Dear Lord, thank you for the story of Solomon and all the amazing things we can learn from His life. I want to ask you for the same thing He did in that I want you to give me godly wisdom. And not only do I want to ask for it, but I want to apply it to my life. Please give me the opportunity to apply the wisdom you give me so that I might honor you. In Jesus’ name, amen.