“Dear God, please give me wisdom…”
This might be the prayer I lift more than any other.
We desperately need wisdom in virtually every aspect of life, don’t we?
In our finances.
Certainly in our marriages.
And perhaps most of all, in our parenting.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes the whole idea of “wisdom” seems sort of ambiguous. Just when I think I may have grasped it, I look down at my clutched hands to find them empty.
How do we know if we’ve attained wisdom? At what point do we become wise? What does it look like?
God is so good to give us His counsel about this topic. The Bible, after all, is full of descriptions of what it means to be wise.
It seems to me that it’s a very good idea to combine my prayers for wisdom with a study of what God has to say about the subject.
Let’s get started praying the Scriptures for wisdom, shall we?
Prayers for Wisdom
Thank God for His gracious promise to give wisdom generously to those who lack it. Claim that promise for yourself by asking Him for it in faith (James 1:5).
Acknowledge to God that fools always think their way is right, but a wise person listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15). Ask the Lord to help you to be humble and teachable, willing to ask for and receive counsel from others.
Pray that you would grow in wisdom as God defines it, and that you would humbly and wisely do good works. Ask Him to keep you from bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, and also from boasting and deceit, as those attributes are not characteristics of godly wisdom. Implore God to fill you with the wisdom from above – wisdom that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere (James 3:13-17).
Confess to God your own responsibility to pay careful attention to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ask for His grace to keep you from foolishness, and to enable you to understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).
Ask God to help you restrain your words and keep a cool spirit, as those are evidences of wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 17:27-28). Confess to the Lord any sinful tendencies in these areas.
Pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might (Ephesians 1:16-19).
Acknowledge to God that while you desire wisdom, it’s not worth boasting about, and that you want to boast only in your knowledge of Him, growing in your understanding of His character as the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Ponder the truth that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs 9:10). Ask God to increase your knowledge of the Holy One.
Join Paul and Daniel in marveling at God’s wisdom: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” (Romans 11:33) “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” (Daniel 2:20-22). Boldly ask Him for wisdom and knowledge, that He would reveal deep and hidden things to you.
Commit to the Lord that you will choose wise companions and not foolish ones, agreeing with Him that whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20).
Ask the Lord to keep you from being deceived about true wisdom, understanding that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (I Corinthians 3:18-19).
Share with God your desire to seek wisdom above every earthly possession. Ask Him to give you a passion for it, and a willingness to search for it as for hidden treasures. Praise Him for giving wisdom, and for pouring knowledge and understanding from His mouth. Ask Him to give you the wisdom He has stored for the upright, as well as insight about righteousness, justice, equity, and every good path. Pray that wisdom would come into your heart, and that knowledge would be pleasant to your soul, with discretion and understanding watching over you. Acknowledge to the Lord that wisdom will deliver you from evil, protect you from temptation, and help you stay on the path of the righteous (Proverbs 2).
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your infinite wisdom that is abundantly evident in all that You do. You are the essence of wisdom, and the source of it. Whereas You are abounding in wisdom, I am lacking. Please help me to grow in wisdom as I increase in my knowledge and fear of You. By Your Spirit, please increase my depth of insight as I study Your Word. Hold me back from leaning on my own understanding, and make me willing to be counted foolish by the world, for then I will have begun to display godly wisdom. It’s in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray. Amen.
Edith Ng'ang'a says
Please pray with us that our newly launched business in Kenya,Little Oak Events & Caterers together with the affiliated departments:International Volunteer Chefs, the International Culinary Arts Internship programmes, Christian Entertainment Events,Holiday Homes and Flower Export will be successful(Proverbs 16:3)
Edith Ng’ang’a
Operations Manager
Jennifer Clarke says
Hello there, Edith, and thanks for sharing this with us. I’m happy to pray that the Lord would prosper your business according to His will and for His glory.