How To Get Wisdom

There is no doubt that wisdom is the single most important thing in life. The Bible says "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7).

However it becomes very elusive if you do not pay attention to how to connect with it. Many people live a very hard life because of the lack of it. Many have completely gone astray or are right now confused because it is not available to them or do not know what it is.

Wisdom is the right application of knowledge and understanding. Note the two words: knowledge and understanding. You can't talk of wisdom without those two ingredients - knowledge and understanding.

To get wisdom you must first seek and acquire knowledge about a thing, then endeavor to understand it thoroughly so you can make a wise decision or take a wise action. You can have knowledge about a thing but that doesn't make you wise. You only have a knowing and may not make a completely right or wise decision based on that. But when you go further to understanding details and intricacies involved with a thing, then you can fully take a completely right decision or action, and you will be said to be wise.

When God made King Solomon the wisest man on earth, He simply gave him an understanding heart. God said "Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart......" (1Kings 3:12).

For instance it is a common knowledge that a man can be protected from the vagaries of weather when there is a shelter over him. Knowing that a man has need of a shelter is one thing. But making a wise decision about what type, size, cost and location of a shelter or house that will be appropriate depends on your understanding of what it takes to build a house, what is involved at putting it at a particular location and others, before you can make an economically wise decision.

So it means going past the stage of knowing, to a place of understanding. The Bible says a man must first sit back and take the cost of building a house to know its intricacies and gain understanding before making a decision to build. (Luke 14:28-32)

This is the major difference between the western world and places like Africa. The African nations may have knowledge so deep about herbal medicine but lack the understanding of its details. For instance the scientific analysis and clinical proof of functions and compositions of those herbs to determine dosage, use and suitability are lacking with these African nations. Hence they lack understanding and cannot get the wisdom to develop these herbs appropriately for the best human use.

The western world has knowledge together with understanding and they have become wise Nations of the earth.

The beginning point of wisdom in life is the fear of God. When you reverence God and understand the purposes of His instructions and intentions for you, then you will begin to make wise decisions and take wise actions for your life.

Remember Adam eat from the tree of knowledge and would have also reached for the tree of life in the garden of Eden if God did not guide the tree and drive Adam and Eve away from the garden. The tree that God shielded away from Adam was the tree of "Divine Wisdom" which was called the tree of life. (Genesis 3:1-24)

If Adam had eaten the fruit of the tree of life (Divine Wisdom), Satan would have had possession of it through Adam and Eve and understand divine moves of God. He would have understood the redemption plan of God for mankind and saving mankind would have been another dimension of challenge. This is why Satan lacks the wisdom behind divine moves because he doesn't have the understanding.

Satan has knowledge of God's word but lacks the understanding of the wisdom behind it. This is recorded in the Bible: " But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1Corinthians 2:7-8).

The Bible also further says:

"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her" (Proverbs 3:13-18).

The Bible says in the verse above that wisdom is a tree of life. But Jesus is the evident manifestation of that tree of life (divine wisdom) to us today according to (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus is wisdom and life; He came to offer us back that wisdom and everlasting life that was in the tree of life in the garden of Eden.

To get wisdom you must first get knowledge and then go further to have understanding.

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7).You can ask God for wisdom, He gives freely! He will grant you an understanding heart.