Want Wisdom? Here's Some

What should we do to protect our investments in the midst of the current Stock Market crisis? Whom should we vote for in the coming elections? Should our church start a construction project or add another service? How can I counsel a friend in trouble?

No matter what the question, we desire one thing in being able to answer it: wisdom. We want to know not only what is right in a situation, but how to act with discernment and insight. Interestingly, God, the giver of all wisdom, wants us to have it too (in fact the word wisdom appears more than 200 times in the bible.) He doesn’t allow situations to occur without providing the wisdom to handle them.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NIV)

In my life, I find that God sends me wisdom every day. Spend time in God’s word, surround yourself with godly people, spend your time doing things for God’s glory and suddenly you’ll find a lot of wisdom coming your way. Here are some gems God sent me just this week:

• From my friend Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr., a minister and seminary professor in Florida, writing about faith: “Faith in people will often disappoint us; faith in things can easily deceive us; faith in institutions will normally fail us. Even faith in faith is inadequate! But faith in God will never leave any life puzzle without an answer; it always yields the surest and best possible solution, regardless of the magnitude of any existential situation. (Read the full posting at http://tofillalittlespace.voxtropolis.com).

• From composer Bill Cooper in a song about hope: “However lost, you can be found; however silent, there’s a sound; however floundering, you are bound for something greater other than who you are” (more about Bill at http://masterworkproductions.homestead.com/workshops.html)

• From my pastor Jay Abramson speaking on how to pray like Nehemiah: “Have you ever thought that perhaps the reason God is continuing to allow this chaos to continue in our financial markets might be because he’s trying to remind us where real peace comes from: not our credit cards, not our mortgages, not our 401 Ks; real peace, the thing we really need, comes from him. If we honestly ask him to supply our needs, he’ll do it. He guarantees he will meet our need (hear the full sermon at http://www.valleycommunity.cc/297363.ihtml)

• From a character talking about the realities of suffering and sacrifice in Christ’s life in “Passion Play” by Sarah Ruhl: “Nobody really wants to be Christ; they only want to admire him from a distance.”

• From R. F. Koustas speaking about John 8: 1-11 in his book “Reflections of an American Idiot:” “I sometimes wonder what Jesus silently wrote in the sand. Maybe it was the individual sins of the men gathered around to stone the woman. I like that explanation. If I were there, I would have had no choice but to leave also. God seems to always find innovative ways to convict us of sin. He’s just like that.” (Find out more about this book, winner of "Best Book of the Year" in the category of Religion at the 2008 Premier Book Awards, at http://www.amazon.com/reflections-American-Idiot-R-F-Koustas/dp/1600343821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215049728&sr=8-1)

• From Rick Warren, writing about how to start over after failure: “Failure forces you to be more creative as you look for new ways to accomplish something. It prevents arrogance and egotism. If everything you did was a stunning success, no one could live with you! Failure also causes you to re-evaluate what’s important in life. It’s one way God gets you to reflect on the direction of your life.” (Read the full devotion at http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/en-US/FreeTools/devotional/archivedDevos/DevoArchive.htm)

Want wisdom? Just ask. The Lord has plenty of it to offer, probably through someone you know.