Lent: A Journey Through 7 Spiritual DisciplinesSample

Week Six: Wisdom

Only God can grant wisdom. Hearing that, it seems like a simple truth. Yet, so much of a human’s life is focused on gathering wisdom, whether that’s learning a skill, building a career, or discovering more about a topic.

Gathering wisdom can feel like an endless and futile pursuit: you’re desperately trying to gain bits and pieces of knowledge, then attempting to fit them together into a whole. That’s the mentality of earthly wisdom—accumulating as much as you can so you can fill your mind. It’s a daunting task that might feel impossible.

Yet, God has a different perspective on wisdom. He doesn’t want us to try to follow something we will never be able to fully grasp. He wants us to rest in Him and His perfect wisdom. He invites us to make a conscious choice to ask Him for wisdom and to seek Him first in our pursuit of understanding. Like a gentle yet intelligent teacher, He wants to help us learn, challenging us and growing us in ways we couldn’t do ourselves.

Eternal wisdom, the kind of wisdom that God gives, is the starting point for all other forms of wisdom. It informs and creates all other kinds of knowledge. God’s wisdom is the source, the perfect example. And He offers that to each one of us.

But what does it mean to have wisdom from God? One aspect of this eternal wisdom is a healthy understanding of heaven and earth and how they relate, and how God has designed each of His children individually to accomplish His purposes.

This pursuit also requires sacrifice: sacrifice of our ideals, desires, and control. When we submit to God’s wisdom, we submit to the wisdom that created everything in heaven and on earth.

This week, ask God for wisdom. Keep your heart open to see how God might be answering your prayer.

1. What are the attributes of someone who is wise? What is their demeanor like, and how is their wisdom evident in their words or actions?
2. Why is it important to be wise, and why does the Bible emphasize it so much? Do you believe you are wise? Why or why not?
3. How can you pursue wisdom without it becoming an idolatrous pursuit? Is it possible to have sinful motives as you seek wisdom? How can you make sure your heart is in the right place?