Category: Praying for wisdom

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Pray for Wisdom Using This Method

You will be more successful at praying for wisdom if you have a method that keeps you on track and on target.

a method to pray for wisdom

Here are five practical guidelines on how to pray for wisdom that will keep you on track and on target.

1. Journal

For those who dislike writing, Hosea 14:2 says something important about seeking God: “Take with you words” (ESV). Words are important to God. He gives what you ask for. Your request should not be a shifting, constantly moving target.

So write exactly what you want God to answer, modify it along the way as needed, but settle in on your inquiry. Then you will know when he answers, and you will be able to give him thanks as he deserves and share your testimony for the encouragement of others and the glory of God.

If you do not keep a journal, your inquiries will lose focus, and most of them will be forgotten and abandoned when persistence is required. The journal is therefore the key to taking an inquiry fully from the question to its complete, life-changing answer.

My journal for inquiring of God for wisdom is a file on my desktop computer as well as a note in my Evernote app because I work at my computer all day and I want the flexibility of a Word processing application so all the entries for a single inquiry can be in one place. But you may want to buy a spiral notebook or a high-quality, blank journal. Whatever you use, dedicate it to this purpose because as your ability grows in praying for wisdom successfully it will revolutionize your life, and you will inquire of God more and more.

2. Collect your inquiries

I have dozens of requests for which I am awaiting God’s wisdom.

To develop a reliable method of inquiring of God you need to have a good number of questions both major and minor on many concerns. If you focus only on one problem area, you might have trouble for a while getting a breakthrough to success in that area and getting the experience you need in praying for wisdom successfully. So collect prayers for wisdom about work, marriage and family, your finances, questions about the Bible, giving order to your house, and more.

3. Grid

For each inquiry, begin with the following information:

  • Your precise inquiry

For example: Lord, please give me your wisdom about how to work smoothly with my supervisor.

  • Dates inquiry begun and completed

For example: November 11, 2021 – January 14, 2022

  • Dates inquiry answered partially or fully

For example: Partial answers on November 11, 2021 (page number 14), November 13, 2021 (page number 16), December 3, 2021 (page number 22), January 10, 2022 (page number 27). Summary of full wisdom received on page 28

  • The wisdom received

For example: I need to give my supervisor more feedback on my projects at regular times during the process, especially when problems arise, so that she is not surprised with bad news when something is due. (Wisdom received on November 13, 2021)

  • Lessons learned about inquiring of God

For example: In this inquiry I received the most wisdom when I prayed and journaled early in the morning before going to work.

4. Time

Depending on how important an inquiry is to you and how much time is available, you can vary the amount of time actually praying, listening passively, and thinking before God:

  • 15 seconds – 3 minutes
  • 5 – 20 minutes
  • 1 hour
  • Half day
  • Full day
  • 2 – 3 full days

5. Elements

The more time you take, the more of the following helpful elements you can include:

  • You might want to fast.
  • Begin by setting a time frame. This helps you persevere especially if you plan to pray for a long time.
  • If you have not done so already, write your question.
  • Establish your faith. Quote and meditate on Scripture promises such as James 1:5 and Matthew 7:7–8 until your faith is firm.
  • Confess and repent of sin.
  • If you are distracted by unrelated concerns, clear your mind by casting those burdens on the Lord.
  • Surrender to God. Express your love toward him. Dedicate this inquiry to the glory of God.
  • Worship and give thanks, in particular for his infinite knowledge and wisdom. Meditate on Christ as the one “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).
  • Pause and quiet your mind. As you are quiet, write any thoughts pertaining to your question that may be from God.
  • Read Scripture.
  • If you have the gift, pray in tongues.
  • Again state your inquiry to God.
  • Wait on God until you can wait patiently and with a quiet spirit.
  • Listen.
  • Think and write for as long as thoughts flow.
  • Thank God for the wisdom received.

Again, use only the elements above that you have time for.

Conclusion

I encourage you to develop by practice a method of seeking God for wisdom that works for you. Keep practicing until your method is proven and effective.

That does not happen in a few days or weeks, because as we have seen, God does not answer all of our inquiries quickly. Moreover, some of our inquiries will be large in scale and significance, the kind that usually do not get answered overnight or in one brief installment. On the other hand, other inquiries will be relatively minor and receive answers in one session of prayerful waiting on the Lord.

All this can be a lot of work! But one gift of wisdom from God can change your life completely.

Moreover as you learn to pray for wisdom for everything that matters to you, you will come to know how to walk with God in handling the day-to-day challenges of life, and you will trust him more than you ever have before. You will prove to yourself and others that nothing is more relevant to daily life in this world than truly knowing God.

God “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV). If an earnest, extended time of seeking does not yield the wisdom you need, do not be discouraged. You have planted a seed that will yield its fruit in God’s due season. (See Pray for Wisdom Without Presuming How God Will Answer and Pray for Wisdom Patiently and Pray for Wisdom with Determination and Pray for Wisdom with Faith.)

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)

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Pray for Wisdom When Wisdom Fails

What should we do if we pray for wisdom, implement the wisdom we receive, and then the wisdom fails?

Pray for Wisdom When Wisdom Fails

The story we examine today smashes assumptions. Nevertheless it yields important lessons about praying for wisdom.

The assumption it breaks into pieces is, if God guides me what to do, the results will immediately be golden. In the story we now examine, success came after several failures, and yet each time Israel had inquired of the Lord.

Civil war

Judges 20:11–35 narrates a civil war among the twelve tribes of Israel. One of the cities of the tribe of Benjamin had committed great evil, and the other eleven tribes gathered their armies to punish them.

Verses 12–13 say: “And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What evil is this that has taken place among you? Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.’ But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.”

The result was war.

Day 1

Before entering into battle, the army of Israel prayed for wisdom. “The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, ‘Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?’ And the LORD said, ‘Judah shall go up first.’” (Judges 20:18)

So it seemed that Israel was good to go. God had answered their prayer and told them a crucial element of strategy: which tribe should lead the attack.

Judges 20:19–28 says, “Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.” (ESV)

So the result of the first day of battle is a defeat for Israel, a devastating defeat. We are not told why here, but the wider context of the Book of Judges explicitly states and shows that the entire nation had fallen into depraved apostasy: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6 and 19:25). Although in the present situation Israel had done two commendable things—they inquired of the Lord and came against Benjamin because of its sin—this defeat is most likely God’s punishment upon Israel for their backslidden state.

The war continues.

Day 2

“ [22] The people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. [23] And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?’ And the LORD said, ‘Go up against them.’ [24] So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. [25] And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword.”

Again Israel suffers a devastating defeat. Yet this defeat came after God had answered their inquiry and told them, “Go up against them.” Again we are not told why Israel lost the battle, but verse 25 says it was not because they were poor soldiers. These were “men who drew the sword.”

God never has to explain his actions, and in this account he does not. But the rest of the Book of Judges does make sense of it: the entire nation has fallen from God and deserves to be judged.

The war continues.

Day 3

“ [26] Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. [27] And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, [28] and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, ‘Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?’ And the LORD said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.’”

And that is exactly what happens. Israel employs a different strategy, and this time they prevail against the tribe of Benjamin and the wicked city of Gibeah.

Notice that verse 28 says for the first time that God would give Benjamin into the hands of Israel in this battle, which means he had not done so in the previous two battles. That explains why Israel had been defeated twice. Benjamin deserved to be punished for protecting a wicked city, but so did the entire nation for its apostasy.

Takeaway

This story has valuable lessons.

1. We should not assume that God’s wisdom will bring direct and immediate success every time. We should not assume that praying for wisdom will give guidance that will be a foolproof, failproof silver bullet, making everything easy, answering every question, solving every problem, providing perfect success from that moment forward. That can happen, but we should not be disillusioned if it does not.

2. We may not experience immediate success because God has other larger purposes he is pursuing. Our situation is part of a much larger picture. For instance, God may be disciplining or teaching us (see Hebrews 12:5–11). But there are many other purposes God may be pursuing.

3. If received wisdom fails, we should not conclude that praying for wisdom does not work. We must not lose confidence in God’s promises, in God or his Word, in our ability to recognize God’s wisdom when it comes. We should keep humbling ourselves before him, repenting, and praying for wisdom.

In the story, Israel increased the intensity of its inquiry each time: on the first occasion, “The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God.”

On the second occasion, “the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD.”

On the third occasion: “…all the people of Israel, the whole army [which suggests not everyone had come to Bethel the previous two times], went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.”

4. God might at times lead us through failures and setbacks to reach success, but he is using even those setbacks to accomplish his mysterious purposes.

5. When you implement the wisdom you believe is from God, if it does not bring the result for which you hoped do not be disillusioned, quit, and fall into unbelief. Rather, keep praying for wisdom and using your understanding of it. In this way you acknowledge him in all your ways and receive the promise of Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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Pray for Wisdom about Why

God sometimes reveals his most important guidance when we pray for wisdom about why our circumstances are as they are.

pray for wisdom about why

Have you ever wanted to ask God why? Isaac’s wife did, and God answered.

Genesis 25:21–26 says:

“ 21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, ‘If it is thus, why is this happening to me?’ So she went to inquire of the LORD.

“ 23 And the LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’

“ 24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.”

Here are four takeaways from this story about inquiring of God.

1. We can inquire of God when we are troubled

Rebekah was deeply troubled by what was happening to her. For two decades she had suffered the sorrow and frustration of barrenness. Then she celebrated the conception of a child. Now, however, she experiences jostling within her womb that she does not understand and cannot control and that is probably painful. Perhaps she did not yet know she had twins within, and so the jostling was both mysterious and worrisome.

2. We can ask God why

“She said, ‘If it is thus, why is this happening to me?’ So she went to inquire of the LORD.” (v. 22)

You can ask God your questions, even your why questions. Some people mistakenly suppose we should never ask God why because that is not our place. Others err by expecting God to explain everything, which he certainly will not do because the Christian life requires trust and because he is God and we are not.

Therefore God might answer a why question, but he might not. I do not think this falls within the promise of James 1:5, which says God gives wisdom when we ask. But if we need to know the purpose in a situation and God wants us to know so we will believe his promise, we can expect that he will reveal it.

3. We should inquire in a conducive place

Verse 22 says, “she went to inquire of the Lord.” Where did she go? They did not have a temple; perhaps they had an altar or a place of daily prayer. She might have experienced God’s presence there before. In any event, she went to a conducive setting where she could be alone for an extended time and pay attention to God without distraction.

You might go to a church that has a prayer room or allows people to pray in the worship area. Or you could go to a retreat center dedicated to people who come to pray for a day or more.

4. Inquiring of God may lead to the most important revelations in our lives

God answered Rebekah with a prophetic revelation of the future, unveiling the destiny for her and her children and even for nations: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” (v. 23)

Of course, insights of that magnitude do not happen every time one inquires of the Lord, and not everyone gives birth to children in the promised line leading to the nation of Israel and the Messiah himself! So we should have expectations that are neither too high nor too low.

But we can always inquire of the Lord with confident hope, for Scripture and Christian biographies alike show the Father often reveals his most important guidance and promises as his children inquire of him in times of trouble.

He will usually do that through his written Word. So when you inquire of the Lord, read the Bible much and ask him to guide that reading. He will lead you to Scriptures that are linchpins for a season or even for your entire life.

Conclusion

It might suit God’s purpose to reveal the reason for your circumstances, if you inquire of him.

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)

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Pray for Wisdom Every Time

We should pray for wisdom every time because what we need even more than wisdom is to have God working with us.

pray for wisdom every time

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)

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Pray for Wisdom from the Revealer of Mysteries

No challenge is too great, no question too difficult, when you pray for wisdom from the revealer of mysteries.

pray for wisdom from the revealer of mysteries

Sometimes we will ask God to give wisdom for impossibly difficult things. Think for example of a medical researcher who seeks a cure for cancer or a mother who is raising an autistic child or a small business owner whose company is in debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars and hampered by an economy dealing with COVID.

One government official in the Bible faced an impossible situation. Daniel was one of the wise men of Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had a dream that disturbed him so much he felt he had to be absolutely sure of its interpretation.

No doubt he had told many of his dreams to the wise men before, and they had offered various interpretations, most of which struck him in the end as guesswork. So for this extraordinary dream, he decided on a test that would reveal the level of inspiration in the interpreter. He would require the interpreter of dreams to tell him both the dream itself and the interpretation.

Nebuchadnezzar called in the wise men and gave them the ground rules. Then he added some motivation: “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins” (Daniel 2:5).

That is how a king gets things done. What a motivational speaker!

Pray for wisdom from the revealer of mysteries

Daniel and three of his Jewish friends were part of that group of advisors, under the threat of an imminent, grisly death, but they unlike the others were true men of God. They sought him for mercy, and that night Daniel had a vision that gave him all the required information. Then Daniel blessed the Lord, and his words are important for you and all who seek wisdom for impossible situations:

“20 Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” (Daniel 2:20–23)

Notice six truths from this passage that will give you faith to pray for wisdom from the revealer of mysteries.

1. Wisdom and might belong to God.

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might” (v. 20). Wisdom and might belong to God; that is, they are inherent to him; they are who he is in himself. He did not receive them from someone else. He did not have to learn them. Infinite wisdom and infinite might simply belong to him. There is no limit to them, and so there is nothing impossible with him.

Wisdom and might go together, for wisdom gives might. God’s infinite wisdom gives him the ability to do unimaginably difficult things, such as creating the universe and every form of life on earth from nothing. No problem we can face on earth approaches the difficulty of that divine accomplishment.

So he knows how to cure cancer. He knows how to raise an autistic child or turn a failing business around. He knows how to fix a car no other mechanic can fix. Such situations may seem impossible to us, but for the God of all wisdom and might, they are as simple as one plus one equals two.

2. He can give us wisdom for impossible challenges because he also has unlimited power over those situations.

Verse 21 says, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.” These two powerful divine actions noted by Daniel were not random. They both pertain to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation. God was revealing to the king how he would work in the future to change kings, kingdoms, and governments, raising them up for a season and then removing them from the world scene. The dream revealed God as the sovereign Lord of history past, present, and future.

So when God gives you wisdom about an impossible thing, he is not at the mercy of someone else’s control, such that the wisdom might not work because someone else more powerful than he is might do something unforeseen. When you pray for wisdom from the revealer of mysteries, you are praying to a God bigger and more powerful than you can comprehend—a sovereign God.

3. He is often willing to share his wisdom and knowledge with us.

Verse 21 says, “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”

He gives it, and in fact he is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. No one has come to understand how to do anything or solve any problem apart from God. People do their part to think, study, research, and so on, but ultimately they are cooperating with God, and without him they would know nothing.

God delights to give the world wisdom, but he also chooses to maintain many mysteries at least until an appointed time.

Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.”

Because God keeps secrets, humanity has not yet found the cure for cancer. But that does not mean we will never find the cure. We may wrongly assume that present mysteries are permanent mysteries, that God cannot or will not reveal the answer to them.

But God has revealed the cure for many diseases and will reveal many more, in his time, in his way, according to his will. For many impossible situations, the wisdom we seek is like diamonds buried in the earth, just waiting for someone to dig. For other situations, God may never reveal his secrets, for reasons of course that are always perfect and good.

However, as Daniel experienced on that dangerous night in a divine vision, God is often willing to share his wisdom and knowledge with us for solving great mysteries, and we should pray, believe, and assume he wants to do this for whatever inquiry we bring to him, for it is his nature—his pleasure—to give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

4. God reveals the deepest of deep things.

“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” (v. 22)

Daniel knew that what he had just experienced was extraordinarily extraordinary. It was like going down, down, down into a cave without a torch or any source of light. He had gone where it was humanly impossible to go. He had been in pitch darkness, unable to see or know anything, and suddenly God had turned on his light.

He learned firsthand that God “reveals deep and hidden things.” Deep. Hidden. He reveals things that a brilliant person with an IQ of 250 and a thousand PhD degrees could not know.

So do not be daunted by the size of your challenge. God knows everything that to you is now in pitch darkness. The light that enables him to penetrate such darkness dwells with him. He created the blazing sun and carries it into whatever dark mystery he wants to enter.

5. When God gives you his wisdom, he gives you his might.

“You have given me wisdom and might” (v. 23).

In verse 20, Daniel praised God for his wisdom and might, and now he says that God had given him wisdom and might. Though we are utterly powerless in our human selves, the wisdom that comes from God makes us powerful for God’s purposes and glory. When Daniel went into mighty King Nebuchadnezzar’s throne room and unveiled the mystery, the mightiest man in the room was not the king—it was Daniel.

And the king knew it. “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel” (2:46).

6. To God be the glory.

Daniel 2:46 also says Nebuchadnezzar “commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him [Daniel].” The overwhelmed king treated him like a god. When God gives you extraordinary wisdom, some people will want to give you credit, and your flesh will want to join in that falsehood.

But when God revealed the mystery to Daniel in the vision of the night, Daniel prayed, “To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise” (v. 23). Although wisdom gives might, we must be careful not to seek it for our own glory and power, similar to how Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with a wrong motivation. Daniel sought and gave the glory to God alone, and the entire Book of Daniel never speaks of his falling into the sin of pride.

When you pray for wisdom from the revealer of mysteries, be careful to maintain a pure heart of humility, for God opposes the proud and self-ambitious but gives grace to the humble.

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)