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If God approached you and offered to grant you one wish, what would it be? Instead of asking for long life, wealth, or power, Solomon pleased the Lord by requesting a discerning heart of wisdom. Because he focused on this, the Lord also granted him what he did not request. This illustrates Jesus’ teaching: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). When we pursue first things first, the second things are thrown in; when we pursue second things first, we not only miss out on the first things, but we also miss the fullness of the second things.
Job 28:28 says, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” The wisdom of God is evident in the beauty, subtlety, richness, intricacy, variety, and splendor of the created order, and it is also evident in the person, powers and perfections of the God of creation.
To fear God is to nurture an attitude of awe and humility and walk in radical dependence upon Him in each area of life.
Bruce Waltke in An Old Testament Theology writes, “Wisdom is inseparable from knowledge. The Wright brothers flew the first airplane because they had first figured out the laws of aerodynamics. In Proverbs, wisdom mostly denotes the mastery over experience through intellectual, emotional, and spiritual state of knowing. To become wise, we must first develop a thirst for knowledge and understanding.”
But knowledge, though necessary, is not sufficient. Waltke adds this essential point: “A person could memorize the book of Proverbs and still lack wisdom if it had not affected his or her heart, which informs behavior.”
So, here’s a leadership tip for your consideration. Read the book of Proverbs one chapter per day for a month. Ask God for the qualities celebrated in this book: wisdom, prudence, understanding, discernment, discipline, insight, knowledge, discretion, guidance, instruction, faithfulness, sound judgment, humility, justice, diligence, and a true understanding of success.
To gain true wisdom, a leader must have trust, humility, teachability, servanthood, responsiveness and reliance on God—the exact opposite of autonomy and arrogance.
May God grant you the gift of wisdom as you shoot for the stars!
