Month: November 2021

Posted on

Pray for Wisdom in a Persistent Trial

To pray for wisdom in a persistent trial is to pursue the ultimate cause of the problem.

pray for wisdom patiently

At some point, many Christians go through a deep and long trial that no human effort solves, not even the effort of prayer. Naturally we wonder why. The story we explore today might be relevant for you. It shows you might need to pray differently. Instead of continuing to pray that the trial would end, you might need to pray for wisdom about the reason for the trial.

Persistent famine

The story is another from the life of King David.

2 Samuel 21:1 says: “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, ‘[It is] because of Saul and [his] bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.’” (NKJV)

So David’s need, in fact the need of the entire nation of Israel, was food and water. They had been in a drought and famine for three years. That will get people’s attention. They had just enough supply each day to survive for years, but rainfall and food were minimal.

No doubt, David and the people had cried out to God for provision day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year—for three years! That is over 1,000 days.

The reason famines came to the covenant people of Israel

Actually they understood the meaning of an extended famine. They had a clear theology for it: God gave rain when his people walked in covenant faithfulness, and God withheld rain when his people broke covenant with him by doing evil. It was as simple as that.

Centuries earlier, through Moses, God had told Israel:

“If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.” (Leviticus 26:3–5)

On the other hand, if they did not listen to the Lord, he said:

“I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:19–20)

Pray for wisdom in a persistent trial

No doubt, David and many of the people had confessed sins already in general. But the rain had not resumed. So again, with his nation in the terrible grip of famine, “David inquired of the LORD.”

Rather than answering David’s prayer with rain, the Lord answered with wisdom. He told him specifically what sin had brought the famine and why it had persisted despite many prayers. David’s predecessor King Saul had broken a covenant that Joshua and the Israelites had made with a foreign people called the Gibeonites many generations before (see Joshua 9).

God watches over the covenants people make with one another, even ill-advised covenants, as this one had been (again see Joshua 9). He rewards covenant-keeping and punishes covenant-breaking.

So David, now knowing specifically what had caused the famine, gave the Gibeonites justice, “and after that God heeded the prayer for the land” (2 Samuel 21:14).

Persistent trials happen to holy people

However, applying this to our lives, it would be a serious mistake to conclude that every persistent trial we suffer results from some particular sin.

James 1:2–4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (ESV)

So trials come to all Christians, even the most holy of the saints. God allows trials to perfect us.

Therefore the only way to know if God is disciplining us for some particular sin (see Hebrews 12:5–11), for which we need to repent, that our own prayerful soul-searching has not recognized, is to inquire of the Lord, to pray for wisdom. And that is exactly what the very next verse tells us to do. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Takeaway

When we go through a deep and long trial that prayer does not solve, we need to pray for wisdom from God about the reason for the trial. Until we address the reason for some trials, they might persist.

If we inquire of the Lord, and he does not reveal sin in our lives, then we should go on trusting and enduring as James 1:2–4 instructs and not keep suspecting that we must have some hidden sin that is the root of the problem. Such uncertainty is debilitating. It weakens us. It kills faith and leaves us feeling chronically guilty and condemned.

Once again we see how important it is that we develop the ability to pray for wisdom. We need it to be able to know God and his ways, to work through problems and challenges with him, and to see his promises fulfilled in our lives.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Posted on

Pray for Wisdom Step-by-Step

God can bring you through complicated situations when you pray for wisdom step-by-step.

pray for wisdom step-by-step

Sometimes we pray for wisdom about simple situations. The situation is simple not in the sense that it is easy to solve or trivial, but that the answer to just one or two crucial questions will answer what is basically just one important need.

At other times we pray for wisdom about complicated situations that have many moving parts. Such is David’s situation in the following story.

As you read, notice two things. First, note the complications in David’s situation, that is, the number of individuals, groups, opponents, and problems he must address. Second, notice how many times David inquires of the Lord and how the narrator wants to call attention to this.

The context of these events: David is living in the wilderness with his personal army of 600 men, avoiding King Saul, who jealously seeks to find and kill him. David and his men have been living in recurring danger, on the move and insecure.

Pray for wisdom step-by-step

1 Samuel 23:1–14 says:

[1] Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” [2] Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

[3] But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” [4] Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”

[5] And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

[6] When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech [the high priest of Israel whom King Saul had just murdered] had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. [Note: The ephod of the priest was a vest to which was attached the Urim and Thummim, which were sacred lots used for decision making.]

[7] Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” [8] And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

[9] David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” [10] Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. [11] Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.”

And the LORD said, “He will come down.” [Note: Perhaps David used the Urim and Thummim in this inquiry, but God went beyond the yes or no answer that casting the lots might have provided and spoke his answer.]

[12] Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”

[13] Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.”

It’s complicated

In this story, David prayed for specific wisdom four times, all of which God answered—succinctly—no extra words, no information beyond what David asked. (Compare these brief answers with the detailed map of upcoming events that the prophet Samuel provided Saul early in their relationship, recorded in 1 Samuel 10:1–13.)

David had to take into account the strength of the Philistine army, as well as the support of his own troops, and then the threat from Saul and his army, and then the loyalty of the residents of Keilah. This was a complicated situation with tens of thousands of people and numerous groups involved. David had to take into account military tactics, geography and travel, troop morale and loyalty, and so on.

And when David inquired, God told him what to do one step at a time.

Three takeaways

1. God can bring you through complicated situations when you pray for wisdom step-by-step.

2. Getting one piece of a complicated puzzle in the right place does not solve the puzzle.

Inquiring of God and getting one answer might not enable you to live happily ever after. When God’s wisdom gave David victory over the Philistines, that led to his being in a new position of danger from Saul, which led to being in danger from the people he had just rescued. So do not be surprised if you need to keep going back to God for additional wisdom.

3. God might give you reassurance when you feel legitimate need to keep asking more questions.

Notice in verses 1–4 that God clearly answered David’s first inquiry, but when David told his troops they objected. Instead of saying, “Men, God told me what to do. You have nothing to worry about,” David went back to God and apparently asked the same question to make sure he heard it right. Remember, they were going into battle; this was a life-and-death question for 600 men.

David also showed his need for reassurance by asking for the ephod from the priest Abiathar, who had just come into the camp. David had not had the ephod available previously, and yet he had inquired of God successfully without it. But now that the ephod is available, he apparently felt this could help him pray for wisdom more effectively.

David needed reassurance; sometimes you need reassurance. If you are not acting in unbelief, God might confirm his answer.

If so, he will give you wisdom not by means of an ephod, or Urim and Thummim. Instead he has given you the Holy Spirit within, who has united with your human spirit, and he has said, “The anointing that you received from him abides in you…his anointing teaches you about everything” (1 John 2:27).

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Posted on

Pray for Wisdom to Solve Problems

When we pray for wisdom to solve problems, God sometimes gives answers that are surprising or counter-intuitive.

pray for wisdom to solve problems

On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 blasted off for the moon. Two days into the mission, however, the spacecraft’s oxygen tanks exploded. Minutes later the pilot spoke the famous line, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” The explosion did not destroy the spacecraft or immediately harm the crew, but getting the crew back to earth alive was in doubt.

Somehow, four days later, through an extraordinary display of problem-solving and engineering and resourcefulness and good decisions and courage and the mercy of God, the spacecraft splashed safely into the South Pacific.

No limits?

If only human ingenuity could solve every problem like that. But for every inspiring story like this, there are thousands in which human resources meet their match. We have a need or face a crisis, and nothing we do answers it. No matter how smart or creative we are, no matter how sophisticated our problem-solving methods, we are stuck and in trouble.

Soon after their exodus from Egypt, Moses and several million Israelites found themselves in a desert and unable to find water. After three days, they found water, but it was bitter and undrinkable. The people began desperately to complain to Moses, and Moses began desperately to cry to God for help.

Divine help came in the form of wisdom: God told Moses what to do. God did not directly sweeten the water himself, which he of course had unlimited ability to do, but rather told Moses how to sweeten it. “The LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.” (Exodus 15:25, ESV)

The counterintuitive log

The log was God’s wisdom for Moses, and it was counterintuitive. If we could transport a scientist to that situation prior to God’s giving his solution, the scientist would not have said that what Moses needed to do was to find a log to throw into the water. The log is an unscientific, seemingly magical solution. Educated readers today might mock this story as mythical, as an example of many supernatural stories in the Bible that they dismiss as impossible occurrences, which uneducated and superstitious primitives gullibly believe.

But you can be sure it happened just as Scripture records, and what it reveals is a common pattern in God’s ways. Sometimes—not always—but sometimes he gives counterintuitive wisdom. And we need to have faith to do what he says even though it defies reason.

The wisdom of the log

For example, James 5:14–15 says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

Notice this says not only to pray but to anoint with oil. If we believe in God, we know it is rational to pray to an Almighty God to heal; but it defies human, medical logic to anoint the sick person with oil. If a person has a heart problem, what curative power does olive oil smeared to the forehead have? Nevertheless, it is God’s wisdom, his counterintuitive wisdom.

The hidden log

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” The power of the log to sweeten the waters was a great and hidden thing. For every human problem, need, or crisis, there is a log, a solution from God. There is great and hidden wisdom only God can reveal, and it might be counterintuitive. If you cry out to him, he can reveal it, in his time, in his way, if it accords with his will. If you have the childlike trust to do what he says, the waters will become sweet, in his time, in his way, if it accords with his will.

Pray for Wisdom to Solve Problems

The New Testament also assures us God is willing to give logs to those who stand weeping at the shores of bitter waters. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Let’s take this verse apart.

“any of you”

Anyone can ask God for wisdom. You do not have to be someone special to inquire of God. You can be a babe in Christ, a holy person, or someone who is struggling to overcome sin.

“lacks wisdom”

God gives wisdom to those who know they do not know how to do something. They feel the lack. They sense their limits. And they might believe the situation is impossible. If you are at the end of yourself, at the end of human problem-solving, brainstorming, and methods, you qualify for the promise of James 1:5.

Remember, there are no problems God cannot solve. “All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). He “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). There is always a log; the question is, what is God’s will, and do we have enough faith and perseverance?

“let him ask God”

The verb “ask” is in the present tense. Those who keep praying and believing receive wisdom; those who doubt and quit might not.

“who gives generously”

God gives wisdom willingly and abundantly, like a mother dishing out homemade pie. God is not stingy with wisdom. You are not coercing a reluctant God. Rather he delights in pointing you to the log, in his time, in his way, in accord with his will.

“to all”

This repeats the first point for emphasis: anyone can ask for and receive wisdom, not just leaders, prophets, and pastors. Are you in the group labeled “all”? Okay, you qualify. This means you.

“without reproach”

To reproach means to find fault. It is natural for sinful humans, which we all are, to feel that God will not give us something because we have done something wrong, even today. We might assume this is why we have the need (and we might be right). But when we ask for wisdom, God does not find fault with us. Certainly, as always when we pray, we should confess and repent of our known sins. But then we should not let our past sins create doubt in our hearts. Such thinking cripples prayer. God does not fault you for lacking wisdom, and the sins you confess and repent of are under his blood.

“it will be given”

This is a promise. God is absolutely truthful, and therefore you can put your faith in these words. He will do it in his time, in his way, according to his will, if you believe.

I urge you to meditate regularly and prayerfully on each short phrase in James 1:5. Your faith for praying for wisdom will increase.

Takeaway

When we face a need, stubborn problem, or crisis, God wants us to cry out to him and use whatever wisdom he gives no matter how surprising or counterintuitive.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Posted on

Pray for Wisdom Patiently

As Jeremiah shows in this story, even seasoned prophets must pray for wisdom patiently.

pray for wisdom patiently

The greatest obstacle to praying successfully for wisdom is a lack of patience. The story we see in this article shows that even great prophets sometimes do not promptly receive the wisdom they seek.

What to do after disaster

The prophet was Jeremiah, one of the greatest in Israel. The circumstance was a request from some of the leaders of the people that he inquire of the Lord for them about what to do in the aftermath of Babylon’s conquest of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 42:1–4 says, “Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, ‘Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the LORD your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us—that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.’

“Jeremiah the prophet said to them, ‘I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your request, and whatever the LORD answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.’” (ESV)

A heavyweight

Remember that Jeremiah is God’s right hand man in Israel. When Jeremiah was a youth, God appeared to him to call him into his ministry as a mouthpiece for God. Jeremiah describes that experience: “Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’” (Jeremiah 1:9–10, ESV)

So Jeremiah is not a lightweight, wannabe, or novice at hearing from the Lord. And now as the leaders of Israel inquire of God through him, he has been prophesying accurately to the nation for decades. So he brings their question to the Lord.

Pray for wisdom patiently

After inquiring of God for one day, the answer had not come. After two days, no answer from God. Three days, four days, five, six, seven—no answer. Eight days, nine days, no answer. The man of God—the man who knew how to receive God’s word and wisdom—did not hear anything from God for nine days.

Moreover, God did not tell Jeremiah how long he would have to wait for the answer. He simply had to keep praying and believing the wisdom would come. For all he knew, it could take weeks or months.

But Jeremiah 42:7 says, “At the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.”

Is a delay a denial?

Have you ever waited on God for ten days? My guess is that Jeremiah probably did not present his request on day one and then go about his business doing other things until the answer came at the end of day ten. Rather, he probably focused on that for each of ten days, seeking the Lord in prayer. My point is not that asking God for wisdom necessarily demands that, but rather, even doing that did not in this situation result in a quick answer.

You should not feel something is wrong if you pray for several minutes or even hours for wisdom but do not come away with something tangible. Your prayer has planted a seed; do not give up on it. God has heard you. He has his timing and his wise reasons for delay. He had a perfect reason for waiting ten days to answer Jeremiah’s inquiry. While he is patient, we are impatient. While he knows the present and the future, we know next to nothing. He is perfect in all his ways. But whether it takes ten days, ten weeks, ten months, or ten years, the rewards of having wisdom from God Most Wise are too great to quit on the promise of James 1:5.

Therefore when seeking God for wisdom takes much time or requires waiting patiently, do not give up in unbelief and do not forget about it. If the requested wisdom does not come in the time span you expect, that does not mean it will never come or that something is wrong with you.

Life principle

Even God’s choicest prophets have had to wait patiently for him to reveal the wisdom they seek, so do not give up in unbelief if your requests for wisdom take longer than expected to be answered.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Posted on

Pray for Wisdom to Interpret and Apply Scripture

Even if you have little experience in studying the Bible, you can pray for wisdom to interpret and apply Scripture.

pray for wisdom to interpret and apply Scripture

When you do not understand something in the Bible, what do you do? Do you google it? Do you read a commentary? Do you make a note to discuss it with someone with more Bible knowledge?

One of the godliest kings in Judah’s history, named Josiah, once faced a situation in which he had an all-important question about the meaning and application of Scripture. Here is what happened.

The lost Bible

During the reign of several wicked kings, the Scriptures were so thoroughly ignored by both political and religious leaders that the sacred scrolls were put into a room somewhere in the temple and forgotten. As a result, although Josiah was a good and godly king who came into power at age 8, he had never seen or heard the Scriptures. Recall that this was a few thousand years before the invention of the printing press.

But then, a few years into his reign, Josiah ordered the repair of the temple. One day the workers discovered the sacred scrolls and showed them to the high priest. Soon he showed them to king Josiah’s secretary, and the secretary brought them to the king and read aloud.

Second Kings 22:11 says, “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.” In that culture, tearing one’s robe was one of the ultimate displays of grief or outrage. The Bible does not tell us where Josiah read in the Bible, but based on his reaction it must have been a section (such as Deuteronomy) where God described the requirements of his covenant with Israel and the punishments that would fall on the nation if they disobeyed.

Well, Israel had failed egregiously. The land was covered with idols. There were idols in the Lord’s very temple. Josiah suddenly knew that a whirlwind of terrible judgment awaited them.

A heap of trouble

He probably had read something like this from Deuteronomy 28:15–29 (ESV):

“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

“The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.”

What to do?

Now you know why Josiah tore his robe.

This was overwhelming. Josiah now knew that Israel was in major trouble, but he also knew that the judgment had not yet fallen upon them. They were in a time of relative peace, far from the prosperity and power enjoyed under Kings David and Solomon and Hezekiah but not mere hours from destruction either.

So Josiah understood in general how to interpret the meaning of the Scriptures he had now heard, but he needed to know what to do about it, how to apply it to himself and the policies of his kingdom. Was it too late? Was judgment inevitable? Could he do anything to avert disaster?

Crisis management

So after the secretary read the Scripture to Josiah and he tore his robe, Josiah said to his attendants,

“Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:13)

Josiah’s first instinct was good. He knew he needed to inquire of the Lord for wisdom. He knew God could tell them what to do.

But this was hundreds of years before Jesus, before the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all believers, and thus before all believers received the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and the anointing that teaches believers all things (1 John 2:27). This was hundreds of years before God promised, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

As a result, Josiah did not believe that God would directly tell him what to do, even though he was king.

Ask the prophet

So Josiah’s attendants found a prophetess named Huldah to inquire of her what the Lord would say. This was common practice during this era. Kings and others inquired of the Lord by inquiring of prophets and priests, who were God’s anointed, authoritative spokespersons, in whose mouths was the word of the Lord.

The essence of the message from the prophetess was, it is too late to save the nation from judgment, but because King Josiah has done what is right he will not see it himself. (see 2 Kings 22:14–20)

Pray for wisdom to interpret and apply Scripture

Don’t you wish you had a prophetess like Huldah at your side when you puzzle over something in the Bible?

As nice as that would be, we should not approach our Bible questions like Josiah. Understanding and applying the Word of God does require supernatural wisdom and insight, but he is willing to help you. When you scratch your head over a verse in the Bible, you should not assume its meaning and application will always remain behind a curtain. Rather, you should pray for wisdom to interpret and apply that Scripture, receive it by faith, and then pursue the answer diligently, patiently, and persistently.

It may be that you will find the answer yourself through study and meditation. It may be that God will lead you to the teaching of someone with far more experience and knowledge in Scripture than you. But it all begins with inquiring of the Lord and believing he is your instructor (Matthew 23:10), who sometimes teaches you directly and sometimes indirectly through others.

This is a prayer based on God’s Word

God shows us in Scripture that we can pray in this way.

Psalm 119:73 says, “Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.”

Psalm 119:34 says, “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.”

Verse 73 is the prayer for understanding the meaning of Scripture, and verse 34 highlights application.

What I do with my toughest questions

This is the practice I have followed in writing this blog weekly over the last four years. I have faced many questions that at first I felt I would not be able to answer, especially as I wrote about the holiness of God. But I have learned not to assume I will never find the answer. When puzzled, I have learned to inquire of the Lord, and I have seen again and again he is willing to teach me to understand and apply his Word sooner or later.

Here is one example of an article I wrote on a question I had puzzled over for decades without inquiring of the Lord, but then when I began inquiring of the Lord about it, he opened the curtain in a few months.

Currently in my “Inquiring of the Lord” file, I have several more theological questions. For example, one of my prayers is, “Lord, help me better understand the harmony of your wrath and love. Do you ever feel anger toward a true Christian?” I have leanings on this, but not yet clarity. I know the Lord will eventually answer questions like these.

When I come to a roadblock in understanding the Bible, I should not assume I will never be able to plumb the depths of the subject. And I do not need to respond as Josiah did, asking a fellow human to inquire of the Lord for me. I can and should inquire of him myself. Then, if he wants to send Huldah to help me, I am all for it. But if he wants to open my mind to understand this on my own, all the better.

Conclusion

You will be surprised how much God is willing to teach you in the Bible if you will ask him for wisdom each time you have a question, write that question down in a spiritual journal, and then keep that question simmering on the front or back burner for as long as necessary.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)