Wisdom For the Ages

By: John Carrigan

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Now 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

Before I met Christ, I was very prideful. I didn't want anyone's advice, and I rarely asked anyone for help. When I was in the Air Force, I liked to tell people I graduated from "the school of hard knocks." Honestly, most of those hard knocks were caused by my bad decisions! Those bad decisions didn't just bring grief into my life, my behavior affected the life of others. But when I met Jesus, I learned how to swallow my pride, seek God's wisdom, and ask Him for advice. Job 12:12 says; Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. Those words hold promised potential, but they are not guaranteed to everyone. Many older people are wise in their own eyes, but they completely lack the wisdom of God. What our world likes to call wisdom is often based on outrageous beliefs... human ideas that don't line up with God's Word. The missing ingredient? God!

God promises to give us His wisdom, but we must ask Him for it first. Our God is generous, but He is also just. In other words, He won’t give us His wisdom to help us do things outside His will. I mentioned my past, now think about your own; how many times have you not asked God for guidance? How many times have you disobeyed His commands? How many mistakes have you repeatedly made? But God... don’t you just love those two words? When God got ahold of me, He set me on a new course, His course. My life and attitude changed when Jesus broke my chains!

This week will be my 40th wedding anniversary, and I could fill this page with words of love to my wife. But the longest letter I could write would be a love letter to God. I could fill many pages thanking God for saving my marriage. I love you honey, but God loves you even more! He came through for us over and over, every time we sought His will and wisdom. Every time I tried to solve our marriage problems with my wisdom, it never worked. When God supernaturally intervened in our lives and our marriage, everything changed. The solutions and guidance He provided weren't always easy... we followed God's advice, knowing it was for our good and His glory. My only regret is not seeking God's wisdom sooner!

Take my advice, seek God's wisdom first. Listening to The Lord will keep you from making bad decisions.