As you work through a typical day, your ears likely will hum with talk about being smart or intelligent. Usually, this talk is positive. You want to be smart.
But there’s a stark difference between intelligence and wisdom. Intelligence is the ability to learn and retain information. You can have an easier time learning and retaining certain types of data than others. But it’s also possible to be generally intelligent over multiple subjects.
Comparatively, wisdom is the ability to apply intelligence. It involves analysis and discernment, not just memory acquisition and recall. And that analysis can be ridiculously multifaceted. For example, the decision whether to have a steak dinner can mean thinking about how you feel physically, what other people are ordering (peer pressure), or your personal weight goals. If you’re wise about something, then you “get” it on a deep level and have a full contextual understanding of it.
4 key Biblical points on wisdom
Scripture holds some important truths about wisdom.
1. The wisdom of God far exceeds ours, and He can rewrite all the rules we use to rationalize in an instant.
Paul refers to the preaching and understanding of the cross and references Isaiah 29:14: “For it is written, I will I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent” (1 Corinthians 1:18-20).
2. Wisdom isn’t something we can expect to see everyone demonstrate.
Jesus often repeated the phrase “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (e.g., Mark 4:9) after a parable. He knew that not everyone was going to be open to His message and understand it.
3. Wisdom is a gift we boldly can ask God for.
James 1:5 asserts that, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” There is perhaps no better example of this than King Solomon. He asked for a discerning heart to govern God’s people. Because this request wasn’t self-serving, God not only gave Solomon the wisdom he’d asked for, but made the extent of the wisdom “as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” As a bonus, He gifted Solomon wealth, honor and a long life, as well (1 Kings 3-4).
4. When you are wise, people take note and trust you to help.
King Solomon quickly became famous for his understanding, and “from all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom” (1 Kings 4:34). One of the biggest evidences of wisdom thus is more close relationships and a reduction in interpersonal conflict.
Why a lack of wisdom matters
From the above scriptures, we can accept that God is the ultimate Discerner. Additionally, if we only ask, we also can have a share of wisdom that sets us apart from the faithless and delivers fame and other earthly comforts we could want.
Yet, today, examples of true wisdom are scarce. Professionals have been going on about the fact we’re in an age of “Big Data” and unprecedented data access. Simultaneously, there’s no shortage of people emphasizing that knowing a lot is a prerequisite for success. Even in politics, class or university pedigree still matter. Attacks on IQ and brags about competence are par for the course.
Ours, it would seem, is an intelligent world.
The real problem with this situation is simple:
The facts or processes involved in intelligence by themselves are objective. Wisdom, however, is about intentionally separating right from wrong (1 Kings 3:9). When you lack wisdom, you also struggle to have any sense of an ethical center. It becomes all too easy to create conflict and to do damage, and worse, to offend God.
How to grow wise for deeper faith and satisfying life
Because focusing too much only on intelligence has the potential to lead you into dangerous brambles, seeking wisdom should be a priority. You might feel anxious when you do it, simply because wisdom might prompt you to behaviors that are out of touch with what is popular. But these behaviors are what distinguish you from unbelievers (Matthew 7:15-17). And fortunately, although Christ understood the division He would cause (Luke 12:50-52), the same God that grants us wisdom is also a Lord of peace (Psalm 4:8; 29:11; 119:165; Isaiah 9:6; 26:3, 12; 53:5, 54:10). You do not need to be worried when you have God as a shield (Psalm 7:10, 27:1-2).
This process of seeking wisdom doesn’t need to be complicated, either. Like King Solomon, we can simply ask God to help us discern well. But we should not be discouraged if God keeps things hidden from us for His own greater purpose. It is up to Him what to reveal and when (Daniel 2:22, Matthew 11:25; 2 Peter 3:8, Acts 1-7). It is our job to be faithful even as we wait for Him to reveal what is good. Craig Groeschel, senior pastor at Life Church, offers a reminder that needing to wait doesn’t mean God isn’t with us. It simply means God is working behind the scenes. And as Solomon’s story teaches, it is the desire for wisdom, not our current state of having it or not, that pleases God and makes the difference.
This said, part of seeking wisdom is quieting the noise that could drown out God’s voice. This might mean not checking your email, drawing boundaries against toxic people, or scheduling time to be alone and still (Psalm 46:10). But be proactive and do everything you can to make sure the communication between you and God flows in both directions.
Finally, although you might need to choose your timing just as God does, wisdom isn’t something to keep to yourself. Our greatest call as Christians is to go and be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; 28:19). So, when God asks you to share what He has taught to you, have the courage to do it. It is the single best way to improve the world.
Image credits:
Erich Röthlisberger from Pixabay
Wikimedia Commons, Nicolas Poussin: The Judgment of Solomon