Knowing God and His Ways

How the prophet Daniel prayed for wisdom

To learn how to pray for wisdom we turn to an expert. The prophet Daniel had much experience in praying for wisdom as a powerful and successful government official for decades in the superpowers of Babylon and Persia. We look now at a story in Daniel 10 where he shows us the first principle of praying for wisdom successfully.

The chapter opens with Daniel earnestly seeking the Lord, but we are not told why. “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks” (Daniel 10:2–3).

(The first principle of praying for wisdom is not fasting. You can breathe a sigh of relief.)

For 21 days Daniel is not conducting a total fast but rather is denying himself certain comforts and pleasures. Then he has a vision. An angel appears to him, and he is physically and mentally overwhelmed. The angel says something to Daniel that provides a crucial principle for those seeking wisdom:

“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words” (Daniel 10:12).

How the prophet Daniel prayed for wisdom

Note the angel’s words, “you set your heart to understand.” I regard that as the first principle of praying for wisdom successfully. For whatever wisdom you need, you must set your heart to understand.

This speaks of determination and persistence. Of setting a clear goal and having a specific focus. You know exactly what you want God to teach you, and you are doing all you can to learn.

For several years, as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ in downtown Chicago, I have been praying daily, “Lord, give me wisdom how to win converts and enfold them in our church as sincere disciples.” I have also been praying, “Give me wisdom how to inquire of you for wisdom successfully.” I am determined. I am working hard on this. I will not give up. With every passing month I am more focused. (I have made significant progress on both requests, and I think I am on the verge of a breakthrough.)

The size and scale of your request

Of course, our prayers for wisdom come in all sizes. We can pray for small or daily matters, and God answers our requests quickly. “Lord, give me wisdom for my conversation with my supervisor at work about how to improve morale on our team.” We pray, we enter the situation with faith, and behold we find that God works wonderful things. He answered our prayer.

But then there are other situations of greater scale, scope, or difficulty, which do not yield to one prayer for wisdom. These require greater determination, focus, and perseverance. You must “set your heart to understand.”

What you are praying for may involve a process, even a long process. For Daniel in this case it took three weeks for him to receive the wisdom he sought. He did not know why it took that long. It was not because of any fault on his part; in fact, the angel commends him as a “man greatly loved” by God (verse 11). It turns out that the delay resulted from a great, invisible conflict occurring behind the scenes in the spiritual world (verses 12–13, 20–21).

Patience

So “setting your heart to understand” means you are prepared to have patience. Without patience you will be disappointed in many requests, and perhaps even become disillusioned and fall into unbelief regarding the promise of James 1:5.

For example, the psalmist faulted the Israelites when they were in the desert, lacking food and water—and thus needing wisdom. He writes: “They soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert” (Psalm 106:13–14). (See Exodus chapters 15–17.)

The Israelites had a legitimate need for food and water, but they allowed their desire to become a “wanton craving,” that is, an excessive desire, an out-of-control desire, an all-consuming, impatient craving that demanded an immediate answer and tested God by attempting to force him to act as they wanted. This wanton craving was marked by unbelief and distrust toward God.

You must not do that when you pray for wisdom. You must be determined but patient. Be prepared: Some of your requests may not be answered for days, weeks, months, years, or even decades, as God in his wisdom works out what is best suited for your highest good and his greatest glory. As always when it comes to prayer, God answers in his time, in his way, according to his will.

Let’s continue next week looking at how the prophet Daniel prayed for wisdom.

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)

The Bible has dozens of verses that show God’s willingness to give wisdom.

This new series rests on the inviting promise of James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (ESV).

It sounds too good to be true. Does God really want me to pray and believe for wisdom about everything that matters to me? My answer is yes, God wants to give us wisdom and wants us to pray and believe for it. I say that for four reasons.

1. God faults those who fail to inquire of him as they make decisions and manage their lives.

Isaiah says, “Should not a people inquire of their God?” (Isaiah 8:19) The prophet was faulting those who consulted instead with mediums and necromancers.

Jeremiah, bluntly rebuking the leaders of Israel, says, “The shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered” (Jeremiah 10:21).

At one point in Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, one of the nations of the land, called Gibeonites, who were under God’s decree of extermination for their wickedness, sought to deceive them. The Gibeonites sent to the army of Israel a delegation who acted as though they had traveled from a distant land to make a treaty with them. God had forbidden Israel from making treaties with the residents of the Promised Land, though they could do so with neighboring countries.

The ruse of the Gibeonites rested on their giving the appearance of having traveled a great distance. They “took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly.” (Joshua 9:4–5)

They rode into the camp of Israel and asked the leaders to make a covenant of peace. “We are your servants,” the Gibeonites meekly concluded.

But Joshua was suspicious. “Who are you? And where do you come from?” he asked.

They replied, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God…. Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them.” (Joshua 9:9, 12–15)

Joshua’s decision was wrong—even though he was a godly man—because he and the leaders of Israel used their own judgment instead of inquiring of God.

In Jeremiah’s day, the false prophets did not consult the Lord. The Lord rebukes them, asking, “Who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?” (Jeremiah 23:18) The answer, of course, was none of them had sought God’s counsel. God’s question shows what he expected from a true prophet.

Psalm 106 tells the history of God’s merciful work among the Israelites and their many failures in response. The psalm reveals how Israel could act with unbelief toward God after he had showed his benevolence toward them by judging Egypt with great plagues and then bringing Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground: “They soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert” (Psalm 106:13–14).

Again and again in the desert, the Israelites made bad choices because they did not wait for God’s counsel but instead impulsively followed their own desires.

Isaiah 9:13–16 says, “The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the LORD of hosts. So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day.” The situation here is that God was punishing Israel with troubles for their stubborn, unrepentant sinfulness, but Israel never bothered to ask him why these troubles had come upon them.

So we see God’s willingness to give wisdom in how he paints in a negative light those who fail to ask for it. We also see that he wants to give us wisdom in his many invitations to seek it.

2. God gives many promises and examples that show his willingness to teach and counsel us.

Both the Old and New Testaments assure us of God’s pleasure in giving his children wisdom.

Psalm 16:7 says, “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.”

Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Psalm 73:24 says, “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory”

Psalm 119:24 says, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.”

Proverbs 2:6 says, “The LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 8:12, 17 says, “[12] I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion…. [17] I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”

Isaiah 9:6 says, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 28:24–29 says, “[24] Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? [25] When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? [26] For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. [27] Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. [28] Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. [29] This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.”

Isaiah 48:17 says, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.’”

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.”

Daniel 2:17–23 says, “Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 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; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 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 2:28 says, “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.”

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Matthew 23:10 says, “You have one instructor, the Christ.”

Philippians 3:15 says, “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.”

2 Timothy 2:7 says, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

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.”

1 John 2:27 says, “The anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”

So we see God’s willingness to give wisdom in many promises and examples. We also see that he wants to give wisdom because he tells us to ask for it.

3. God tells us to pray for wisdom.

Having wisdom is not automatic or guaranteed to all. If we do not have it, that does not mean he does not want to give it to us. Rather, the Lord tells us wisdom comes to those who ask for it.

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.”

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

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.”

Daniel 2:17–19 says, “Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.”

So we see God’s willingness to give wisdom in his instructions to pray.

4. God tells us not only to pray, but to believe for wisdom.

Prayer is necessary, but it is not enough. Our prayers must be mixed with faith that God will answer.

James 1:5–8 says, “[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

We often need wisdom immediately, and God grants it. At other times, we may pray for weeks, months, or years for wisdom until it comes. We must have the faith to persist until our prayer is answered.

How do you build up the faith necessary? You memorize the Scriptures in this article and meditate on them, which will take months. I have done it, and so can you. To maintain them in your memory, you will periodically have to review and refresh them. That is good, because each time you say them, they build your faith.

Conclusion: Never doubt God’s willingness to give wisdom

God wants to give you the wisdom and understanding you need for your job, marriage, child-raising, finances, health, emotions, ministry, goals, trials, prayers, sanctification, and any other holy thing that matters to you, frustrates you, or eludes you. Most importantly, in the process you can learn to know God better.

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)

The ultimate goal of Christ-centered wisdom is not a method to get what you want.

Jesus needed to solve a tax problem. When he came to Capernaum on one occasion, the collectors of the two-drachma tax approached Peter with their hands out.

Apparently Jesus and his disciples did not have the money, and so he needed wisdom, which can be defined as understanding how to solve a problem, do something successfully, accomplish a purpose, or reach a goal. Wisdom is not just knowledge; it is knowledge you can use to some benefit.

Jesus told Peter, “Go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself” (Matthew 17:27).

This is one extraordinary example of the divine benefit that comes from knowing how to do something. On the other hand, we can find hundreds of ordinary examples of wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, which tell us how to manage our finances, families, and much else successfully. Whether God provides wisdom in an ordinary or extraordinary way, Scripture promises, “A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might” (Proverbs 24:5).

Dangers of wisdom

As beneficial as wisdom is, however, the pursuit of wisdom also has its dangers. For instance, consider Solomon. As a new and young king who had recently inherited the throne of his father David, he knew he faced many challenges. He had rivals within his own family, and the nations surrounding Israel were not friendly.

One day God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what I shall give you” (1 Kings 3:5).

What an exciting offer! How tempting it must have been to ask for riches, long life, or the death of his enemies. But Solomon did not. Instead he said:

“O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:7–9)

Solomon’s downfall

The Lord granted his request, and Solomon accomplished much, grew unimaginably wealthy, and ruled a golden age of peace in Israel. Nevertheless, his life is a tragedy, for he did not end well. Apparently he thought he was smart enough to be able to get away with disobeying God’s commands without paying the consequences. Ignoring the commands of the Lord, he married foreign women who led him into idolatry, the fundamental sin of the human soul. (See 1 Kings 11.)

The sin of idolatry—the sin of loving and serving something other than God like God, treating some thing or person as though it were ultimate, substituting the created things of this world for the place in our heart that only God should have—is the great temptation of those who seek wisdom. In fact, the original temptation in the Garden of Eden was to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”

Eve is not alone in her desire to have wisdom apart from God. Even the most wicked people in the world want to solve problems, succeed in what they do, and reach their goals. Worldly people want power, and wisdom gives it.

And so, people both good and bad seek knowledge, methods, techniques, how-to guides, hacks, formulas, and steps that will help them succeed in what they want to do and be. They google for it, go to seminars and watch webinars for it, read books on. It may be driven by a godly desire, such as how to pray effectively, or by a worldly desire, such as how to become rich and famous. The desire for wisdom can be pleasing to God, or it can be an idolatrous desire to have something that replaces God at the center of one’s heart.

The wealth of Christ-centered wisdom

For this reason, it is essential that we pursue wisdom in a Christ-centered way. We need Christ-centered wisdom, not merely the secret to whatever. Christ-centered wisdom brings us closer to God rather than leading us away from him.

The apostle Paul told the Colossians, who were enamored with this world’s wisdom, “In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Pause and let that sink in. It is not an exaggeration. All the wisdom and knowledge on all the websites, in all the books in all the libraries, in all the brains of all the people of the world is not even one trillionth of one percent of the wisdom and knowledge that are in Christ.

In particular

Through the treasures of Christ’s wisdom and knowledge he created and upholds everything that exists: every atomic and subatomic particle and element, every atom, molecule, proton, and neutron, every living cell, chromosome, DNA, and gene, every human person, every animal and plant, every insect and reptile, every star, planet, moon, asteroid, solar system, and galaxy.

Christ is the divine wisdom, the divine intelligence, the divine reason, the Logos, the Word of God through whom God spoke all things into existence and upholds all things in existence. (John 1:1–4, Hebrews 1:1–3, Genesis 1:1–3)

Through the treasures of Christ’s wisdom and knowledge he gave to Moses the Ten Commandments, the foundations of morality.

Through the treasures of Christ’s wisdom and knowledge he spoke the Beatitudes and the Sermon the Mount, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Parable of the Prodigal Son and his Gracious Father, the Parables of the Kingdom, and all the remaining Parables.

Because of the treasures of Christ’s wisdom and knowledge he is the vine and we are the branches. He is the Teacher, and we are his disciples. He is the Head, and we are his body.

In fact, although we learn much from books and human teachers, Jesus actually said, “You have one instructor, the Christ” (Matthew 23:10). In other words, ultimately all wisdom and knowledge come from him. Because of this verse, I make it a practice when I open a book to say: I thank you, Lord, for this book and its author, but I confess that ultimately I have only one instructor: the Christ. Teach me now through this book and author what you want me to know.

Five ingredients

On a practical level, then, how do we seek wisdom for everything that matters to us in a way that keeps it Christ-centered? Here are five suggestions.

1. Christ-centered wisdom trusts in Christ, not in the method. It knows that a method cannot accomplish anything apart from God’s blessing.

2. Christ-centered wisdom uses the method because it is given from Christ. The ultimate goal is to be in relationship with him through the process, not just to get what we desire.

3. Christ-centered wisdom begins with prayer to him that he will supply the needed understanding.

4. Christ-centered wisdom continues with prayer to him that he will help us implement the wisdom and that he will make the wisdom successful.

5. Christ-centered wisdom concludes the process with prayer by thanking him for his help and giving him the glory. Christ-centered wisdom gives credit to Christ, not to self, not to man, not to methods.

The wisdom of salvation in Christ

When we follow practices like this, Jesus will give us his wisdom in his time, in his way, according to his will. And this wisdom will rest firmly upon the most important wisdom of all, namely the wisdom that saves our souls. That most glorious of all wisdom comes only in the person of Christ, “who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV).

To be righteous in God’s sight through faith in Christ is the most valuable wisdom we can have.

To be holy in God’s sight through faith in Christ is the most valuable wisdom we can have.

And to be redeemed in God’s sight through faith in Christ is the most valuable wisdom we can have.

Truly there is no higher wisdom than Christ-centered wisdom.

Conclusion

Everyone wants success. Everyone wants to solve their problems and accomplish their goals. And everyone therefore wants the secret to success. And if God is willing to give the divine secret to success, everyone wants it. But few people want Christ as much as they want the divine secret to success. You will truly be wise if you recognize that he is the real prize. In receiving his wisdom you can know him better if that is what you prioritize.