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