We should pray for wisdom every time because what we need even more than wisdom is to have God working with us.
In the Old Testament, when you prayed for wisdom, you were “inquiring of the Lord.” Here is an inspiring example of King David inquiring of the Lord that shows what praying for wisdom can do for us:
“17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 And David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?’ And the LORD said to David, ‘Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.’ 20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, ‘The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.’ Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. 21 And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
“22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, ‘You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.’ 25 And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.” (2 Samuel 5:17–25, ESV)
Four, relevant principles.
We can learn four things from this story about inquiring of God today.
1. Praying for wisdom and following God’s instructions every time he went into battle enabled David to succeed.
God knows everything about us, both strengths and weaknesses, and the challenge we face. He knows past, present, and future. And he knows precisely what will work. He knows how situations remain the same, and he knows how they differ.
2. We should not assume the wisdom we received from God for one situation is necessarily the wisdom we should use for the next situation.
David faced the same enemy in the same place, but God gave him different strategies for the two battles. In the first battle, God said, “Go up.” In the second, he said, “You shall not go up.” We should honor God by asking him for wisdom for each new challenge or task. In this way we put our trust in the Lord rather than in our method.
3. God may sometimes give wisdom in detailed instructions, and sometimes not.
In the first battle, God said only, “‘Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” But in the second battle, God instructed David regarding when, where, and how: “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”
4. The wisdom God gave David worked because God worked with him.
For the first battle, God promised, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.’ God was the primary actor in the battle. He gave the Philistines to David and his troops. If he had not done that, David would not have won.
For the second battle, God said, “When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” When God gives wisdom, God works. He backs up his ideas.
God wants to fight and work with us. He does not want us to ignore him. He does not want us to presume he will help us. And he does not want us to act as though we know what we are doing, that we can handle this without his help. Inquiring of God for wisdom is an act of dependence and submission. We should pray for wisdom every time because what we need even more than wisdom is to have God working with us.
How God communicates
But how does God communicate his wisdom? David presented his question to God, and verse 19 says, “The LORD said to David.” God’s exact words are quoted in detail. That is what most people would love to experience, but it does not seem to work that way for most Christians. It does not work that way for me even though I believe God still works today as he did in the New Testament. God does not talk to me in an audible voice giving precise instructions, and he does not do that for any pastors I know. That does not mean it never happens to anyone, but if it does it is rare, even for genuine servants of God.
The wisdom I am writing about in this series of articles is the wisdom we can pray for daily, for things large and small, for everything we put our hand to. Although God sometimes spoke to David audibly, sometimes through prophets and priests, he was a singular prophet and king in the Old Covenant. Today in the New Covenant, how does God communicate his wisdom to the average Christian who regularly inquires of him?
New Testament promises
Two New Testament promises assure us we can still ask God for wisdom just as David did. 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.” If only that promise was followed by a specific description about how God will communicate that wisdom to us! But that is not the case. Similarly with the promise of Jesus: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). He does not tell us how we will find or how the door will be opened.
So there must be a reason God typically does not speak to us audibly and does not tell us in detail how we will receive the promised wisdom. He just says it will happen! He must want us to learn by experience.
Equipped
And he has equipped us to do so. In the New Covenant era, we have both the Old and New Testaments, which are his inerrant, written Word. And we have the Holy Spirit living within us, in union with our human spirit, giving us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), teaching us all things (1 John 2:27).
If we are patient, wise, prayerful, and teachable, and if we are submitted to wise, experienced, godly mentors, we will gradually learn to recognize the wisdom he promised. Most likely God will not communicate with us in just one way, but several. And because we have the Holy Spirit within, God’s wisdom will come to us internally in our thought processes. The subjectivity of that is what can make getting wisdom from God difficult sometimes, but it seems that is what he wants for us. We need to submit to his method, for he is working for good through it. He knows what he is doing, and what he is doing is larger than giving the wisdom we desire.
Recommendations
Therefore I recommend you regularly ask God to give you wisdom about how to pray for wisdom successfully.
I also recommend that, since receiving God’s wisdom is usually not as unmistakable as hearing a voice from a cloud, and since God wants us to learn by experience, you should make praying for wisdom for everything that matters to you a regular practice. Then when you face major needs, you will know how to do it confidently.
As you do that, you will know God and his ways better and better. You will be walking with God.
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)